The Burden of Debts Left Unpaid Story 2
by April D. Wade
Summary: This story follows 'What's for You Won't Pass You By.' Lucas has come to find contentment and happiness in his marriage to Dara and the family that they've made together. However, the arrival of a dangerous stranger who demands payment of a debt he claims he's owed, find Lucas resorting to the dark secrets of his family's heritage to protect his family from man's dark intentions.
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

Despite the fact that it was late October in Trinity, South Carolina, the day was a beautiful one, filled with just enough briskness in the air to keep the heat from the sun from becoming too overpowering, yet, there was enough heat from the sun to keep the air from becoming too chilled. In short; the day was a a perfect balance of breeze and sun to make any time spent outside enjoyable, something that was truly appreciated by the young man making his way up the sidewalk. Walking home from school, Caleb Buck began whistling a tune to himself as he gave consideration to the significance of today. Not only was today his sixteenth birthday, but there had been a great many twists, turns and changes in his life since that horrible night exactly six years ago today. Although he still remembered the horrible event that had led to the death of his beloved sister, Merlyn, he was grateful that the events involving her and the man that, he later learned, was his stepfather no longer haunted his sleep at night.

He couldn't deny that his life had definitely taken several sharp turns since that fateful night. The memories of the difficulties that he had in accepting the truth when he had learned that his true father was Lucas buck, were vivid. However, despite those difficulties he was grateful that he had learned acceptance, especially given that he now had, not only a father who openly acknowledged him, but also a loving mother as well as two sisters and a younger brother, all of whom loved him dearly. Muttering to himself, Caleb admitted aloud;

"Yep, I guess that I'm pretty lucky at that."

Picking up his tune where he had left off, Caleb continued on his present course for home.

Just as Caleb was counting his blessings, his mother, Dara Buck, was pulling a chocolate cake from the oven to cool. Hearing the sound of discord coming from the direction of the living room, she placed the pans on the cooling rack as she made her way to the front room in time to hear her three old son, Alex, arguing with his twin sister;

"I said it's time for Rocket Rangers, Riesa, give me the remote."

Dara entered the doorway to see her three year old daughter, Riesa, snatch the remote from her brother before stating;

"No, Alex! I don't care, it's time for Wonder Woman."

Dara couldn't help but shake her head in bemusement as she glanced to the sofa to find her two year old daughter, Rinie, busy coloring, oblivious to the argument her siblings were having over control of the TV. She couldn't help but feel a happy smile come to her face as the little girl looked up to offer a bright smile as she greeted;

"Hi, Mommy."

Returning the smile, Dara offered;

"Hi, baby."

Noticing their mother, Riesa turned to place her little fists on her hips as she demanded;

"Mommy, make him give me the remote. It's my turn to watch the big TV."

Furiously shaking his head, Alex denied his sister's statement;

"No it isn't, you got to yesterday."

Dara couldn't help but laugh slightly as she held her hands up in a pleading motion as she suggested;

"Alright, let's settle this, where's the calendar?"

Running to the desk, Riesa grabbed the item her mother had requested and hurried to the sofa to eagerly thrust the calendar that was used to mark whose turn it was to choose which shows the children watched. Settling herself on the sofa next to her mother, Riesa watched eagerly as Dara turned the pages to the correct date. Studying the dates, Dara turned to her son to offer apologetically;

"I'm sorry, Alex, but today is your sister's turn with the remote, but if you'd like you can watch Rocket Rangers upstairs in mine and Daddy's room if you want."

Dara couldn't help but be reminded of just how much the little boy resembled, both, Lucas and Caleb, especially as he held his head down in a sheepish manner to offer his sister a mumbled apology;

"I'm sorry, Riesa, I guess I forgot."

Although the argument had seen serious enough to the two of them earlier, Dara wasn't shocked when the little girl reached over to hug her brother as she offered;

"It's okay, Alex."

Knowing that the little girl could never stay angry with her twin, Dara knew what was coming next as the little girl, who was so obviously closely related to her, suggested;

"Mommy, can't we tape Rocket Rangers and watch it after Wonder Woman?"

Alex, looking hopeful, pleaded;

"Please, Mommy, that way we can watch both of them together."

Nodding, Dara offered;

"Alright just let me start the recorder."

Programming the device, Dara couldn't help but smile to herself; this had been an argument since the children had been able to talk and reach a remote control, but they had always seemed able to work it out on their own with little to no help from others. Once she had the device programmed, Dara approached the sofa to study her youngest child; while she loved all four of her children, she seemed to spend a great deal more time with Rinie.

Caleb, who was turning sixteen today, was finding friends and a life all his own and although he loved his younger siblings and still made time for them, he was definitely his own person now with his own life. Alex and Riesa, being twins, naturally seemed to bond more closely together than with their other siblings, this left Rinie, the youngest. While Alex and Riesa made sure to include her in their activities and she was undeniably close to them, she still seemed to keep mostly to herself. Studying her now, Dara couldn't help but smile at just how studious she appeared as she concentrated on the picture that she was coloring, before she offered;

"You wouldn't happen to know anyone who would like to help me decorate her big brother's birthday cake, would you?"

A bright, happy smile coming to her face, Rinie glanced to her two siblings to find them thoroughly involved in the latest adventures of one of their favorite superheroes. Realizing that they were distracted, she nodded her head excitedly before sliding off the sofa to take her mother's hand and lead the way to the kitchen to pull a chair up to the counter to help with the cake.

Dara couldn't help but shake her head as she contemplated her children's personalities. At sixteen, Caleb was becoming a version of his father, although he wasn't quite as solidly built as Lucas and still had at least another inch or so before reaching the same height. Alex, too, seemed to be destined to take after his father, having inherited the same curling, wavy, dark hair and features as Lucas, although his eyes were more like Dara's. Riesa was an obvious miniature of her mother with the same dark auburn hair and sea green eyes that had obviously been inherited from Dara. Rinie, on the other hand, seemed to be very different from her siblings. She had inherited Lucas' hair coloring but she had Dara's fair complexion and eyes that were a combination of both parents. Her personality was another combination; she seemed to have inherited her mother's patience but the severity of her temper came solely from her father.

Long ago, Dara had come to accept that their children were gifted in many ways, but true to his word, Lucas had taught them how to control and handle their special abilities. Not only had they inherited their 'gifts' but they had also inherited high intelligence and understanding, something evident in the fact that all three younger children had managed to accomplish the milestones that most babies took months to master in merely weeks.

Although the twins had been advanced in accomplishing the feats of infancy, such as sitting up, walking and talking, Rinie had accomplished the same feats even more quickly than her siblings. She began crawling at twelve weeks to stand at sixteen weeks before staking her first steps at six months old. Her ability to speak had been another area of amazement; the twins had spoken their first coherent word just short of their first birthday; Rinie, however, had been able to manage basic complete sentences by that time. Now, at two years old she spoke as coherently as both Alex and Riesa.

Dara brought her thoughts back to the present as her daughter climbed on the chair that she had pulled to the counter, marveling at her youngest child's independent streak as she offered;

"How about some milk and cookies to snack on while we're working on the cake?"

Nodding eagerly, Rinie took a big bite of her cookie before asking;

"Mommy, when will Daddy be home?"

Shrugging as she set the glass of milk in front of her daughter, Dara ventured;

"Well I'm not really sure, baby, but since it's Caleb's birthday I'm sure he won't be too late. Why?"

Taking another bite of cookie, Rinie shook her head as she mumbled between bites;

"I was just wondering, Mommy."

Before she could further address the little girl's inquiry, Dara heard the front door open and close before Caleb entered the kitchen, and, noticing his youngest sibling, questioned;

"What are you guys up to?

Her little face lighting up at the sight of her brother, Rinie held up her chubby little arms to eagerly greet;

"CALEB!"

Sitting his backpack on a chair, Caleb happily caught his sister as she leapt from the chair she was standing on into his waiting arms as he approached. Returning her hug, he asked;

"So what did you do today?"

Giggling she pointed to the counter as she explained;

"Nothing, I was just helping Mommy fix your cake for your birthday."

With that, she began wiggling like a little squirrel to check his pockets before looking at him with a pout in place of where her smile had been earlier. Caleb couldn't help but grin as he reached into his back pocket to produce a candy bar, something that found him being rewarded with a bright smile of pleasure from his sister as he demanded;

"Is this what you were looking for, little squirrel?"

Nodding eagerly as she took the candy from his, Rinie hugged him tightly as she offered;

"Thank you, Caleb, you're the bestest brother ever."

Caleb laughed at her statement as he set her back in the chair just as Alex and Riesa were running up to him to eagerly throw their arms around his waist as they too began searching for their candy bars as well. Once they had found their unexpected treats, all three trooped off to the living room to enjoy their cartoons and the candy. Noticing the stern look on his mother's face, as well as the fact that she was having great difficulty maintaining the admonishment, he shrugged as he asked innocently;

"What?"

Realizing that she wouldn't be able to continue the pretense of irritation with her eldest child, Dara gave up the effort as she chastised;

"You do know that they'll never eat their supper now; don't you?"

Dara couldn't help but feel her irritation totally evaporate as he offered her a smile, reminding her very much of Lucas, before he crossed the space to put his arm around her to reason;

"Oh, come on Mama, you know that they look forward to it and one candy bar won't hurt them."

Unable to do anything but sigh in resignation, Dara shook her head as she smilingly relented;

"Oh, alright. Now, go on and do your homework and let me finish your cake?"

Turning back to the counter she began decorating the cake as Caleb grabbed his backpack to head upstairs.

Fulton County Sheriff deputy, Ben Healey squared his shoulders as he grabbed the gaily wrapped package from his desk to make his way to the office door marked; **LUCAS BUCK, SHERIFF (PRIVATE OFFICE)**. Tapping on the portal he waited until he heard an invitation;

"Come in."

Opening the door, he found his boss, Lucas Buck, finishing with the day's paperwork before glancing up, to greet;

"Hey, Ben, what can I do for you?"

Launching in, Ben explained;

"Well, Lucas, I know that today is Caleb's birthday and you know that me and the boys are all fond of him, so we were wondering,"

Placing the gift on Lucas' desk, he requested;

"Would you mind giving him this gift form us? We all chipped in and got him something for his birthday, we hope he'll like it."

Nodding as he offered the man a smile of genuine appreciation, Lucas agreed;

"Sure thing, Ben. I'm sure that he'll like whatever you boys got him.

Placing his pen back in its holder, Lucas rose from his chair to shrug his broad shoulders into his jacket before grabbing the package to toss over his shoulder as he made his way to the door;

"I'll see you tomorrow, Ben."

Watching as he pulled the door closed, Ben began gathering the documents from Lucas' desk to get a head start on his filing. As he organized the papers he couldn't help but notice the wide assortment of photos that now occupied Lucas' desk, including a photo from his and Dara's wedding four years earlier, as well as a photo of his four children, one of he and Dara and a more recent ones of the entire family. Ben couldn't help but marvel at the changes in the man as he remembered how things had been in Trinity once upon a time where Lucas Buck had been concerned, not to mention just how much those same things had changed shortly after the arrival of Dara Chambers, now Dara Buck. Although Ben couldn't help but feel lightened at the thought of just how improved things had become since Lucas had made Dara his wife, had he realized just how much trouble the door chime of the outer door was bringing with it as it announced someone's arrival, he would have found his mood severely deflated, especially if he knew what it would mean for Lucas Buck and his family.

Walking through the front door of his home, Lucas heard the sound that he had come to love hearing as he pushed the door closed;

"DADDY'S HOME!"

Bending down, Lucas waited for the barrage of small arms that were outstretched, waiting to be held. Grabbing up his children he hugged and kissed each as he asked;

"Where's Mommy?"

Pointing in the direction of the kitchen, Rinie explained;

"She's in the kitchen, fixing Caleb a cake for his birthday, Daddy."

Dara couldn't help but smile at the sight of her husband entering the kitchen, as usual, with Alex on his back and holding their daughters in each arm. Bending slightly, he greeted;

"Hi, darlin, how was your day?"

Offering him a loving smile as she lifted their son from Lucas' back to set him down, she offered;

"It was fine, how about your day?"

Amid their protests, Lucas set his daughters back on their feet as he pleaded;

"It's Mommy's turn for hello, okay?"

Sighing in resignation, all three went back to the living room as Lucas turned to smile mischievously at Dara before taking her in his arms to hold her tightly as he repeated;

"Like I said, it's Mommy's turn."

With that, he lowered his head to kiss her deeply. Both found themselves shocked to hear their oldest child speculate;

"You know that at this rate I'm willing to bet that we'll have another baby around here before too much longer."

Reluctantly, Lucas released his wife before muttering in irritation;

"Not if we don't get any privacy, we wont."

Shaking his head in amusement at his father, Caleb observed;

"You know that you should really consider slowing down, Dad; you're forty-four years old."

Taking the glass of iced tea that his wife had just handed him, Lucas raised an eyebrow at his son as he demanded;

"And your point would be?"

Shrugging, Caleb sighed as he realized his father's point;

"No point, I guess. I guess that age really isn't that important, is it?"

Nodding as he took a sip of tea, Lucas praised;

"Now you get the idea, son."

Placing his glass on the table, Lucas reached into his jacket pocket to withdraw a key ring before tossing it to Caleb. Catching the keys, Caleb stared at them in question as he asked;

"What are these for?"

Meeting his son's puzzled gaze with an even one of his own, Lucas asked;

"Isn't today your sixteenth birthday?"

Nodding silently, Lucas shrugged nonchalantly;

"Then I guess that those would be to your birthday present from your mother and I."

Looking from one parent to the other, Caleb asked excitedly;

"Does this mean what I think it does?"

Motioning towards the back door, Lucas suggested;

"Why don't you go outside and see for yourself."

His face lighting up, Caleb bolted out the backdoor and stopped short at the edge of the porch, followed quickly by his parents. Caleb's eyes widened as he found, not only a car, but the very one that he had been eyeing for weeks; a blue Fire bird. Turning to his mother and father, smiling proudly, he asked in astonishment;

"How did you know? I didn't say anything to anybody about it, not even Boone."

Wrapping his arms around his wife's waist, Lucas shrugged;

"Just a lucky guess I reckon."

Turning serious, he advised the boy;

"We want you to enjoy this car, but we also expect you to act responsible with it. The only reason that your mother and I bought it for you was because we think that you're mature enough to handle it, so don't disappoint us. Alright?"

Nodding eagerly, Caleb crossed his finger over his heart as he vowed;

"I promise, Dad, I'll be real careful."

Glancing up at the car, he turned sheepishly to both of his parents as he asked timidly;

"Since I haven't gotten my license yet, could one of you, maybe, go with me so that I can try it out?"

Seeing the hopeful look in his wife's eyes, Lucas nodded;

"You go on, darlin, I'll stay with the kids."

Happily, Caleb ran to the door to open it for his mother, who eagerly jumped in, reminding Lucas of a teenager herself. Lucas stood on the porch and watched as Caleb carefully pulled out of the driveway, shaking his head as he considered the turns that his own life had taken.

On this day, six years ago, Lucas had maneuvered events to be able to take custody of Caleb so that he could raise the boy. While his motivation had began with his own selfish reasons, he was not truly able to appreciate the real reasons for wanting a child, all thanks to his wife's influence. That had been another severe turn that his life had taken, and for the better. The moment that he had first set eyes on Dara he knew that there was something about her that would be different from all of the other women that had been in and out of his life, he quickly realized just how right he had been when he decided that he wanted her in his life permanently.

The realization of just how right he had been was even more evident after more than four years of marriage and the birth of the three children that they had made together as well as the fact that he found her even more beautiful and desirable than he had the first time that he had seen her. Logically, he knew that she was no longer twenty-six but he still couldn't help but see her just as he had on that hot Summer's day years ago. Shaking his head at his good fortune, he smiled to himself as he voiced aloud;

"I'm definitely a lucky man at that."

Stepping inside, he pushed the door closed and made his way to the living room to spend time with his three youngest children.

Dara found herself laughing lightheartedly as Caleb sped down the highway with the windows and the tops to his new car open, despite the crisp chill that could be felt in the air. Seeing his mother's good mood, Caleb pulled the car onto the shoulder of the road as he cajoled;

"Come on, Mama, I know that you want to try her out, let's switch."

Eagerly, Dara accepted his suggestion as she quickly took the driver's seat and fastened her safety belt before turning to her son to offer;

"Would you like to see just how fast this thing can really go?"

Nodding, Caleb countered;

"Okay, but you have to tell Dad that it was your idea."

Putting the car in gear, Dara quickly accelerated down the empty road, shocking Caleb as he glanced over at the speedometer to whistle in disbelief;

"Whoa; Mama, did you know that you're doing eighty-five; where did you learn to drive like this?"

Turning to offer her son a mischievous grin, Dara confessed;

"Well, don't you dare tell your father, but when I was your age I used to drag race with my grandparents' car; that's how I learned how to drive like this."

Neither noticed as they flew by a parked patrol car until the vehicle pulled out to follow them and began flashing the colored lights to signal them to stop. Today was Floyd's turn to flag cars with the radar gun to help discourage speeders; he was about to give up and change locations when a blue Fire bird flew by him, doing eighty-five in a fifty-five zone. Giving chase, he pulled the vehicle over and grabbed his ticket book before exiting his vehicle to march up to the driver's window as he began asking in irritation;

"Do you have any idea just how fast you were going?"

Glancing up from his book he found himself shocked to see Dara Buck behind the car's steering wheel as he demanded sharply;

"Dara! What on earth are you doing, this isn't your car?"

Offering the chagrined deputy a warm smile, Dara greeted;

"Hi, Floyd, no, you're right, this is Caleb's car. Today is his birthday and this is what we got him for his present. I'm sorry, I didn't really realize that I was going that fast."

Unable to do anything but smile at her enthusiasm and cheerful disposition, Floyd couldn't do anything but chuckle. He had always had respect and reverence for Lucas Buck, but he, like Ben, believed that Lucas decision to marry Dara had been one of the best decisions that he had ever made. Closing his ticket book, Floyd advised;

"Alright, but just be careful and slow down. You know that if Lucas knew that you were driving like that he'd turn you over his knee and me for letting you get away with it."

Knowing the truth of his statement, Dara nodded as she promised;

"Alright, Floyd, I promise that I'll be careful and slow down."

Putting the car in gear, she pulled back onto the road and turned in the direction of home.

Later that evening, after the evening meal had been finished and Caleb had blown out the candles on his birthday cake, Dara and Lucas had settled with their younger children in the living room. Caleb had gone to the movies with Matt and Loris Crower as a birthday treat and wouldn't be home till much later. Following the familiar pattern that was the norm in the Buck household where the three younger children were concerned, Riesa took the remote and turned off the TV before pleading with her father;

"Tell us a story, Daddy, please."

Setting his paper aside to lean forward in his chair, Lucas offered his eldest daughter a loving smile as he questioned;

"What kind of story do you want to hear, angel?"

Having set the pattern as soon as they were able to speak, these three saw their parents in very specific roles. Lucas' job was to spin a tale for their imaginations while Dara's was to soothe them to sleep with the magic that her voice created for them. Riesa, considering her father's query, placed her small fist under her chin as she gave the matter serious thought. Finally, her eyes brightening, she answered;

"We want a fairy tale, Daddy."

Rising from his chair, Lucas bent over to lift the girl in his arms before making his way to the sofa to sit next to his wife as Alex and Rinie climbed up to join them and snuggle closer to their parents as they waited in anticipation for their father to begin spinning a tale for their entertainment. Lucas thought carefully of how to begin his story as he noted the look of contentment on his wife's face, then, offering her a smile he began;

"Once upon a time, in a faraway place, there lived a beautiful princess who had eyes that were the color of the green in the sea, skin that was fair like a porcelain doll and hair that was the color of burnt rubies mixed with copper and gold."

Glancing up and her mother, Rinie pointed out;

"Mommy, that sounds like you."

Pushing a stray curl away from his youngest child's face, Lucas nodded;

"It does, doesn't it, Rinie?"

Continuing the story, he began;

"Anyway, this princess had decided that she and her mother, the queen, weren't happy in the kingdom where they had been living, so the princess decided to venture from the kingdom to find a new home. The princess and the queen found a small kingdom many miles away that they felt would be perfect for their new home, so they decided to settle there. But, the princess didn't tell anyone that she was a princess, she just lived as everyone else did."

Shocked, Riesa demanded;

"But didn't anybody know that she was a princess, Daddy?"

Nodding, Lucas explained;

"Yes, there was finally one person who knew that she was a princess; there was a knight in the new kingdom who noticed the princess one day as she was going about doing her chores. He could see that she was much too special and beautiful to merely be a common woman, he knew that she just had to be a princess because she was so special."

Tilting his head to the side in anticipation, Alex asked;

"What did the knight do, Daddy, when he figured out she was a princess?"

Reaching across the back of the sofa, Lucas placed his hand on Dara's shoulder as he saw the love shining in her eyes before he continued the story;

"Well, the knight approached the princess and although he knew that she was beautiful, when he saw her up close, he discovered that she was more than beautiful, she was ethereal."

Furrowing her brow, Riesa inquired;

"What is 'ethereal', Daddy?"

Lucas couldn't help but feel pride in the fact that his children were eager to learn and unafraid to ask the meaning of new words as he offered;

"It means 'heavenly, baby. You know, like an angel."

Seeing that she had understood his explanation, Lucas continued his story;

"Anyway, the knight knew when he looked into the princess' beautiful eyes that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, but right then, he couldn't."

Disbelief and shock mirrored in all three children's eyes, Rinie, usually the spokesperson for the trio, demanded;

"Why; didn't she love the knight?"

Nodding, Lucas explained;

"Yes, she loved the knight, but, unfortunately, the princess' mother, the queen, was very ill. It turned out that the princess had brought her mother to the new kingdom because there was a war in the old kingdom and the princess wanted her mother to live in peacefulness because she didn't have very much longer to live. But, the princess didn't want anyone to know that the queen was so ill, so she kept it a secret."

Rinie, having sat transfixed, lifted her head a little as she ventured;

"But, if the knight loved the princess then he wouldn't have cared about her mama being so sick, would he Daddy?"

Shaking his head as he glanced at his wife, Lucas affirmed;

"No, honey, it wouldn't have bothered the knight one bit."

Turning his attention back to this children, Lucas continued;

"Finally, a day came when the knight learned about the queen and knew that he needed to be by the princess' side, because soon she would be alone. So, he went in search of her and stayed by her side, even through the death of the queen."

Sighing as she shook her head, Riesa pointed out in a sad voice;

"Daddy, that's so sad. Do they get to be happy?"

Reaching over, Lucas put his hand against his daughter's cheek as he advised her;

"You'll have to listen to the rest of the story to see, sweetie. Anyway, after the queen's death the knight confessed his love for the princess and asked for her hand in marriage. Since the princess loved the knight as he loved her, she agreed and soon they were married. Although the princess missed her mother dearly, she and the knight were very happy and they found themselves even more so when they learned that they were soon going to be blessed with the birth of a child. But, a wicked wizard who was jealous of the knight decided to cast an evil spell on the princess."

The excitement over the tale his father was spinning for them flashing in his eyes, Adam demanded;

"What kind of spell was it, Daddy?"

Lucas couldn't help but shake his head at his son's enthusiasm over the tale as he explained;

"It was a spell to make the princess very ill, the wizard wanted to punish the knight and he knew that what would hurt the knight the most was that if he lost his true love, so the wizard wanted the princess to die."

Turning to each other in fear and disbelief, all three children asked in unison;

"Did she die?"

Shaking his head, Lucas explained;

"She almost did, the wizard gave the princess a potion that put her in a deep sleep, but, the knight was able to get the princess to a good wizard who reversed what the evil wizard had done. Then, the knight went in search of the evil wizard and banished him from the kingdom. After that, the princess recovered and she and the knight waited for the birth of their child, but, low and behold, when the day came for their baby to be born, they were surprised and delighted to find that they weren't having one, but two babies; a boy and a girl."

Turning to each other, both wearing identical smiles of amusement, Riesa ventured as Alex nodded;

"I bet that's us."

Lucas couldn't help but be proud and amazed by their quick wit as he continued;

"Everything went well for the princess and the knight and their new family. Time went by and soon they learned that they were going to, again, be blessed with another child. But, unfortunately, there was an evil knight who had also fallen in love with the princess and he decided to steal her away from her husband."

Lucas could tell by the looks of shock that his children were wearing as well as their awed silence that they were captivated as he continued his tale;

"The evil knight had stolen the princess and taken her to a secret cave in the forest to hide her away so that no one could find her, or so he thought. But, the good knight loved the princess so much that he wouldn't stop looking for her until he found her. Once the good knight found the cave, he fought a duel with the evil knight for the princess and, finally, he destroyed the evil knight and rescued the princess to take her back to their castle, where a short time later they were again blessed with a beautiful baby girl."

Sitting up and pointing to herself, Rinie beamed proudly;

"I bet that's me, isn't it, Daddy?"

Nodding, Lucas couldn't help but grin as he confirmed her theory;

"Yes, baby, that was you. After that, the princess and the knight lived happily ever after. Now, it's bedtime, so hop on and let's get the three of you tucked into bed, then Mommy can sing you a lullaby."

Alex, wrapping his small arms around his father's neck, climbed onto Lucas' back while Riesa and Rinie climbed onto each knee to be held in his arms so that he could carry them upstairs. After making certain that all three had completed their nighttime ritual of going to the bathroom and brushing their teeth, Lucas helped Alex into his pajamas while Dara helped the girls don their nightgowns before taking the bows and barrettes from their hair before she began brushing out the length of each girl's hair, which was already reaching in curling waves below their small shoulders. After she had finished brushing and braiding their hair for bed, she helped tuck all three children into their respective beds; as she got to Alex, who reached up to hug and kiss her, the little boy requested;

"Sing us a song, Mommy."

Motioning to her husband, Dara offered the little boy a loving smile as she began singing her children to sleep. Although they had been married for over four years now and he had heard her sing many times, Lucas knew that she was still shy about singing openly in front of anyone but their children. Lucas stood listening to her soft, floating voice from outside of the doorway and hearing her stop, he peeked around the door to ask quietly;

"Are they asleep?"

Nodding, Dara sat up to lift Rinie to place her in her own bed as Lucas did the same with Riesa, both girls having decided to crawl into the bed next to their mother and brother as she sang to them. Satisfied that all three were tucked in and settled, once they pulled the nursery door to, Lucas enfolded Dara in his embrace before venturing;

"You know, Caleb won't be back until late and they're asleep. I think that we should take advantage of the opportunity that's presented to us."

Lifting her eyes up to meet his as she smiled at him coyly, Dara asked in a seductive tone; 

"Really and just how do you propose to take 'advantage' of it?"

Seeing the leering gleam in his eyes, she wasn't completely shocked when he offered;

"Let me demonstrate."

With that, he descended to take possession of her mouth with his own, deepening the kiss by degrees until he was exploring her mouth, drinking in his fill of her before he lifted his head to ask;

"Do you get the idea now?"

Trying to catch her breath as she steadied herself by leaning against him, Dara couldn't help but shake her head at how it never failed to surprise her that, even after the years of marriage, he still had the power to take her breath away and make her weak in the knees. Taking a deep breath as she admitted in a rasping voice;

"I think that I get the idea."

Lucas wrapped his arms around her tightly as he replied;

"Well, let's see if I can paint a clearer picture for you."

Bending down, he once more took possession of her mouth as he swept her up in his arms as he continued satiating his hunger for her as he made his way to their bedroom where he quietly shut the door behind them. Finally, setting her in the middle of their bed he began disposing of his own clothing as she sat, watching him with a relaxed and contented smile on her face. Having disposed of his own clothing, he approached the bed to kneel next to her as he began unbuttoning her blouse and pulling it from her shoulders as he began trailing the length of her throat with his mouth as he finished removing the last of her clothing. Once they had both found release and enjoyment in each other's arms, they held each other tightly as they drifted off to sleep, content in each other and in their life. A contentment that was about to be put into a free fall of turmoil before much longer.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

A little more than a month later, everything seemed to settle into a new routine for the Buck family. Caleb, now an officially licensed driver, had begun dating on weekends, something that found him spending more time away from home than at home. Dara had taken to preparing the youngest three children to a routine of dedicating a specific amount of time each day for improving their reading and math skills so that they would be fully ready when it came time to enroll them in preschool. Combined with the time that the children spent at the Outreach Center that their mother had helped to found, attending various learning programs for children their age while their mother worked, it wasn't shocking that the trio were highly intelligent and highly informed.

Given the time that she did spend in contact with the children of the Trinity community, the fact that Dara found herself exposed to the various illnesses that circulated through Trinity, especially those easily spread by children. Thankfully, her children never seemed to suffer from anything more than the usual cold, coughs and sniffles. Dara, on the other hand, was a different matter entirely, she never seemed able to escape the more severe symptoms of the flu and viruses that she found herself exposed to. Despite having taken Matt Crower's suggestion the year after Rinie's birth and taken a flu shot, it became obvious that such measure were futile since she had promptly developed a secondary lung infection which placed her in the hospital.

Considering the face that there had been a late Summer virus that seemed to be making it's way through the children of Trinity, Lucas wasn't surprised when he realized that his wife had been ill for a few days. Deciding that she was in need of a check up and knowing that the day would be a quiet one with all of his deputies on shift, he took the children with him to his office, allowing Dara the opportunity to go for a checkup. Realizing that the faster she was seen, diagnosed and began medication, the fast she could get back on track with her normal routine, Dara called to make certain that she could be seen before dressing the children and sending them on their way with their father before she prepared for her own appointment. Two hour later, Dara walked through the door of the Fulton County Sheriff's office to find Ben Healey working the front desk.

Ben had been one of Lucas' deputies for over ten years and he, like everyone else in Trinity, liked Dara immensely, especially given the changes that she had helped to bring about where her husband was concerned. Although he had wondered, when Lucas first met Dara, if she wasn't simply going to be another conquest for him; Lucas, himself, had made no qualms about the fact that his intentions were to spent his life with her as his wife. Bringing his attention back to the present and noticing just how pale she seemed, Ben asked sympathetically;

"What's the matter, Dara; not feeling too good today?"

Nodding she offered;

"You have no idea, Ben."

Motioning in the direction of Lucas' office, she asked;

"Where are my husband and kids, Ben?"

Nodding towards the doorway to Lucas' office, Ben offered;

"There in Lucas' office, would you like me to take them and get them a soda of something?"

Dara felt grateful for his inspiration as she offered him a slight smile of gratitude;

"Thank you, Ben, that would be a good idea."

Approaching the door, she rapped on it lightly before entering to find herself the center of a barrage of small arms as her children rushed to hug her before demanding anxiously;

"Are you feeling any better, Mommy? You're gonna be alright, aren't you?"

Kneeling to hug her children to her, Dara couldn't help but smile as she offered a slight laugh;

"Yes, babies, I'm going to be just fine."

Glancing over her shoulder to Ben, who was standing in the doorway, she wasn't shocked when he took his cue to offer;

"Hey, how about if I take you guys and we'll go get something to drink and maybe even a donut."

The trio turned to their mother, their eyes filled with eagerness at the prospect of an unexpected treat from one of their favorite people, as they waited for her approval. Nodding, she shooed them from the room as Ben pulled the door closed to give Dara and Lucas privacy. Rising from his desk chair, Lucas came around the desk to pull his wife into a close embrace as he asked;

"What did Crower say, darlin? This is just the flu, right?"

Dara pulled away from her husband to walk over to the large window to look outside as she gathered her thoughts and courage before sighing heavily as she stated in a worried voice;

"Lucas, I don't have the flu, I'm pregnant again."

Staring at her in shocked silence, Lucas tried to decide the best way to approach the subject on his mind as he observed;

"I thought that you were still on birth control pills."

Glancing over her shoulder, Dara couldn't help the look or tone of sarcasm as she replied;

"I was; however, I'm apparently one of those lucky women who seem to fall into the five percent group that still manage to conceive while on the pill."

Walking up behind her, Lucas encircled her with his arms as he laid his cheek against the top of her head to ask softly;

"Darlin, are you happy about it?"

Turning to look into his eyes, Dara admitted in an unsure voice;

"I don't know, I mean, we already have four children and I thought that the idea of another baby would be, to say the least, unsettling to you."

Shaking his head, Lucas offered her a smile as he confessed;

"I happen to like the idea of another baby."

Kissing her gently, he placed his hand against her cheek as he continued;

"And I happen to think that you're sexy as hell when you're pregnant, or course I happen to think that when you're not pregnant too."

Searching his eyes for his sincerity, Dara demanded in a serious tone;

"So you don't mind that we're having another baby?"

Shaking his head, Lucas confirmed;

"Nope, I do not. Now, why don't we gather our other three babies and then we'll find Caleb and go celebrate."

Opening his office door, he called for their children to gather their belongings as he notified Ben that he was off duty for the evening before ushering his family out the door. They had only been gone a few minutes when the bell over the outer door chimed, announcing the presence of someone in the office. Glancing up from his paperwork, Ben recognized the stranger who had come in a few weeks before; something easy to do given the fact that anyone wearing a long black leather duster coat, especially as warm as it was, and a black cowboy hat pulled low over his eyes, which Ben was sure were as black as the rest of his attire. Pushing down the cold chill he felt creeping up his spine at the sight of the man, Ben inquired;

"Can I help you, sir?"

Glancing at Ben from under his hat with a look of cool disdain, the stranger asked in a distinctively deep voice;

"Yeah, you can tell me where I can find Lucas Buck."

Looking the stranger up and down, Ben sized him up and decided that he didn't like the idea of giving him personal information, such as just exactly where Lucas Buck lived. Deciding to try and sidetrack the stranger, Ben shook his head;

"Sorry, mister, but you just missed him. I think that he and his wife were planning on taking their family out for dinner tonight. He'll be back in the morning."

A flicker of surprise crossing his face, the man demanded;

"You mean to tell me he's married?"

Nodding, Ben supplied;

"Yeah, he has four kids too, why?"

Shaking his head, the stranger admitted;

"No reason, I guess. I just didn't think that he'd be the family man type, that's all."

With that, he turned on his heel and left without another word. Ben couldn't help but shudder involuntarily, although he wasn't sure exactly why, he couldn't help but get the distinct impression that he had just seen serious trouble leaving.

Uncertain as to just how they should broach the subject of another addition their already large family, Dara had asked that Lucas break the news to their children. After they had given their orders to their waitress, Lucas crossed his arms on the table top as he began by advising;

"Guys, your mother and I need to talk to you about something."

Noting the knowing look on Caleb's face and assuming that his eldest child had already guessed what the topic was going to cover, Lucas turned his attention more towards the youngest three children. Despite their age, there was no doubt as to how intelligent and quick witted they were, especially given the fact that all three were beginning to learn how to read, as well as having knowledge of various subjects that most children their age were yet even aware of. His tone indicating the serious nature of the discussion, Lucas asked the trio;

"Do you three know what the word 'pregnant' means?"

Despite being the youngest child, Rinie had somehow been delegated to the role of spokesperson for she and her two elder siblings, that being the case, she spoke up;

"Yes, Daddy, it's what a woman is when she's going to have a baby; isn't it?"

Unable to help the smile of pride he felt at his youngest child's intelligence, Lucas nodded;

"Yes, baby, that's exactly what it means. Well, when Mommy went to see Dr. Matt today he told her that is what is wrong with her, that's why she hasn't been feeling well lately, she's going to have another baby."

Dara couldn't help but feel as is she were sitting on pins and needles as she carefully searched the faces of her children, hoping that they wouldn't be upset over the news. Knowing how highly the trio held their brother's esteem, she wasn't shocked when Rinie turned to Caleb to ask;

"Caleb, do you think that it's a good thing for Mommy to have another baby?"

Seeing the look of anxiety on his mother and father's faces, Caleb turned to his sister and nodded as he pointed out;

"Yes, Rinie, I think that it's a good thing. And just think about it, that means that you won't be the baby anymore and that you'll have a little brother or sister like me, Riesa and Alex."

Noting the look of intense consideration on the little girl's face, Lucas and Dara weren't shocked when she motioned for her sister and brother to huddle together for a hushed discussion. Dara had no idea that she had been holding her breath until they were finished and all three turned to their parents, happy smiles on their faces as Riesa offered their joint opinion;

"We think that it would be nice to have another brother or sister, just as long as you and Mommy still love us too."

Relieved, Dara vowed;

"You guys know that you have nothing to worry about, right? My having another baby doesn't change how much Daddy and I love you all."

All three nodded in unison as Alex confirmed;

"We know that, Mommy."

Glad that the issue of the new addition had been settled, Dara found that she was able to enjoy her meal once the waitress had brought their orders. Once their meal was finished and they were on their way home, it wasn't a surprise when the younger children fell asleep in the back seat. When they reached home, Dara had attempted to lift Rinie, but, both, Lucas and Caleb shook their heads as Lucas stated emphatically;

"Darlin, you don't need to be carrying these babies in your condition, especially considering how much they're growing and the fact that they're getting heavier. You go on in and get their beds ready and Caleb and I will bring them in."

Hurrying ahead, Dara unlocked the door and hurried up the staircase to turn back the covers on the children's beds and get their nightclothes ready. Once all three had been undressed and tucked into bed, Dara decided that she needed a bath to ease the tensions from the day. Once she had finished bathing she donned a nightgown before climbing into bed, feeling the beginning of nausea starting.

While Dara was seeking to ease her plight, Lucas found himself discussing the prospect of a new baby with his eldest child as Caleb voiced his concerns;

"Don't get me wrong, Dad, it's not that I'm not happy about another brother or sister, but both times that Mama was pregnant she had a really tough time. I thought that you guys were doing something to prevent her from getting pregnant again."

Staring into his cup of coffee as if it might hold the assurance that his son had no reason for his concerns, Lucas sighed;

"We were; your mother was taking birth control pills, however, they obviously weren't that effective."

Seeing the strained look on his father's face, Caleb stated, rather than asked;

"You're afraid that she's going to have a tough time again, aren't you?"

Looking into his son's face as he took a deep breath, Lucas explained;

"You know, I've never once thought about your mother's age, to me, she's always going to be the same young woman that I saw standing on the sidewalk that day. But, the fact is that she's four, almost five years older than she was that day, although she doesn't even look the age she was then. But, she is older now as well as a history of two troubled pregnancies and two hard deliveries, one of which had to be done by C-section; so yes, I am concerned, to say the least, about her. This isn't going to be easy for her, especially with three young children to keep up with on top of it."

Understanding his father's concern, Caleb nodded his agreement of his statement as he suggested hesitantly;

"Dad, with her history, you know she does have an option."

His eyes flashing angrily at the thought, Lucas shook his head vehemently;

"Caleb, I can't believe that you would even consider that your mother would go along with that and, truth be told, I don't want her to."

Lowering his head in shame over his father's statement, Caleb ventured;

"I'm sorry, Dad, I was wrong for even thinking that."

His face brightened as he gave voice to the thought in his head;

"We could call Mama Lucy to come and help with the kids, like before. I'll help too, but she can be here with Mama while you're at work and I'm at school."

Lucas remained silent for a moment, the truth was that he had entertaining thoughts along similar lines since learning of his wife's pregnancy, especially since she had been there for them during both of Dara's earlier pregnancies. But, she was now in her eighties and Lucas wasn't certain that running after three small children, plus the additional help that Dara would require with running the house might not be too taxing for his grandmother. Turning to Caleb he ventured;

"I'll tell you what, we'll call her tomorrow to tell her about the baby and if she wants to, then she'll come, but otherwise, we won't mention it. We'll let her make the decision if she want's to help; okay?"

Satisfied with his father's suggestion and logic, Caleb offered a simple nod of agreement as he rose from the table;

"Alright, Dad, I know that you worry about Mama, probably more than I do, so I know that you'll do everything possible to make things as easy on her as possible. I better get to bed, goodnight."

Lucas sat for a few minutes, mulling over the discussion he had just had with his son. Realizing that there was nothing more to be accomplished by pushing off sleep, he rose from the table to place his cup in the sink before making his way upstairs, checking on his three younger children before making his way to his own bedroom. As he opened the door he noticed the covers thrown back on the bed, which was empty and, spotting the light pouring from under the bathroom doorway, he realized that his wife was being plagued by nausea. Pushing the door open he found her trying to relieve her nausea, once she seemed to be more in control of her malady, he wet a wash cloth to wipe her face before helping her up from the floor as she splashed cool water on her face. Glancing at her worriedly, he asked worriedly;

"Do you feel a little better now?"

Nodding as she sagged weakly against the counter as she wiped her face with a hand towel, she offered softly;

"Yes, just give me a minute and I'll pull myself up form this disgraceful position."

Shaking her head at her stubbornness and determination, he decided to take charge;

"It's alright, darlin, I'll help you."

With that, he swept her up in his arms and made his way to the bedroom, Dara, feeling much too ill to argue, simply laid her head against his shoulder. Settling her in the bed, he pulled the covers around her before suggesting;

"Do you think that some soda or some crackers might help a little?"

Swallowing hard as she nodded, Dara requested;

"Some soda, please."

Lucas hurried downstairs to the kitchen to bring her what she had requested. Returning to their room he helped her to sit up and take a sip of ginger ale in the hopes that it would ease her stomach. Watching as she fell back on the pillows and placed her arm across her eyes in an attempt to stop the room from spinning. Placing his hand on her forehead to push her hair out of her face, Lucas asked, the concern evident in his voice;

"Darlin, is there anything else, at all, that I can do to make it better?"

Giving a slight shake of her head, Dara reasoned;

"No, we've been through this before so I'm fairly used to it. Let's just try and get some sleep please."

Realizing the truth of her statement, Lucas undressed and climbed into bed next to her before pulling her close to him as he felt her relax against him as they both fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

Garrett Darvin couldn't help but find himself shocked by the calmness that Lucas was displaying at his announcement as he observed;

"You don't seem too surprised to find out that you have an illegitimate brother."

Shrugging carelessly, Lucas admitted;

"Truthfully? I'm not surprised by anything that man did, especially considering that he was a first class son of a bitch. So your news.."

Shaking his head, Lucas advised him;

"No, your news isn't exactly the biggest shock that I've ever had."

The corners of his mouth curling in a smirk, Garrett stated in a knowing tone;

"I guess that my little 'announcement' wouldn't be one of the biggest surprises that you've ever had. But I'd sure be willing to bet that finding out that your wife is pregnant again could easily make the top ten list though, couldn't it?"

Garrett felt a thrill of exhilaration as Lucas' jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed before issuing in an even tone;

"Look, mister, I didn't say that I don't believe you. Hell, there's probably as least a dozen or so bastards running around the state of South Carolina that could trace their paternal side back to Gabriel Buck. But let me set you straight about something; if you want to live a long and productive life, I don't know how you know that my wife's pregnant, but the WORST mistake that you could ever make would be to have any kind of designs on, either, my wife or my children. Do we understand each other?"

Sparing Lucas a casual glance, Garrett leaned forward and, noticing the wedding photo of Dara, picked it up to study as he nodded;

"I can certainly see why you'd feel that way, there's no denying that she's a beautiful woman."

Offering a chuckle of amusement as he placed the photo back in its place, he locked eyes with Lucas as he offered a lascivious grin before venturing;

"But I'd be willing to bet that under all of that sweetness and innocence that she's a real hellcat. You know the old saying; 'a lady on the streets but a bitch in the shee...'"

Before he could blink, Garrett found himself against the wall with Lucas' forearm pressed against his throat as he found himself looking into Lucas' dark eyes which reminded him of smoldering embers of coal as Lucas issued in a low, dangerous tone;

"I don't think that you understood my meaning earlier, so let me make sure that it's crystal clear for you now. That 'woman', as you put it, happens to be my wife; now, I've killed over her before and I wouldn't think twice about doing it again if I have to. So the next time you think about referring to her as a bitch, you had better think again; she happens to be a lady and that means that she's due the respect given to a lady. Now, do WE understand each other?"

Trying to pry Lucas' arm from his throat, Garrett eyed him coldly as he nodded and offered grudgingly;

"I suppose we do."

Releasing the younger man, Lucas made his way back to his seat and made a point of straightening his wife's photo before resuming his seat as he challenged;

"Now, you've come here for a reason, so why don't you come to the point and tell me what the hell you want and then you can get out of my damn office."

Rubbing his now sore throat, Garrett took his chair as he eyed Lucas cautiously before stating in a determined tone;

"I've come to to claim my birthright."

A look of shock flashing across his features, Lucas leaned back in his chair before laughing in genuine amusement as he shook his head;

"I'll give you this; you've got a sense of humor. Sorry, but I'm not in the habit of giving my home or my money over to strangers."

Narrowing his eyes, Garrett pinned Lucas with his gaze as he clarified;

"That's not the birthright that I'm interested in."

Noticing the look of rapt attention that came to Lucas' eyes, Garrett nodded as he ventured sneeringly;

"Well, you obviously know what 'birthright' I'm talking about."

Narrowing his own gaze, Lucas issued;

"Sorry, but the way I see it, that isn't your 'birthright', and I'm not ABOUT to give it up to anyone."

His voice dripping with venom, Garrett replied snidely;

"I don't see why not. Besides, as far as I can see you haven't used it in, say, going on five years or so; I would say about the time that you married my charming sister in law, that's my guess anyway. And don't think that I don't have 'gifts' of my own, but I know that there's a lot more to the package and I want it."

Shrugging as he crossed his arms over his chest, Lucas offered;

"Well, your wants will never hurt you, so feel free to want until your heart's content."

Garrett eyed his brother carefully, sizing him up. He had hoped that this would go easier then what it was, however, he had also been fully prepared for a battle as well. Giving a slight shake of his head, Garrett warned;

"Alright, have it your way. If you want to play games then I'll be more than happy to accommodate you, but, I hope you understand that means that everything and I do mean EVERYTHING is ammunition."

Before Lucas could respond, his office door was thrown open wide as his three younger children ran in, yelling excitedly;

"DADDY!"

However, when they noticed the stranger, they stopped in uncertainty, all three wearing looks of distrust tinged with worry and fear as Dara quickly followed after them, admonishing;

"You three know better than to just rush into Daddy's office like that. What have I told you three about knocking on..."

Noticing the stranger as well, she left off her comment as she glanced to her husband in uncertainty. Lucas couldn't help but notice how all three children huddled behind their mother as Rinie took one of Dara's hands while the twins took the other. He also noticed the way that Garrett Darvin, who had risen when she entered, was standing there, assessing her, something he found more than a little irritating.

Garrett quickly realized that Dara's photo didn't do her justice as he stood, assessing her appearance. Deciding to take the initiative, he extended his hand as he introduced himself;

"Mrs. Buck, I presume; Garrett Darvin at your service."

Reluctantly, Dara extended her own hand and found that she quickly regretted the action when he brought her hand to his lips to place a kiss on the back of it. Dropping her hand quickly, she muttered politely;

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Darvin."

Turning to her husband, she offered;

"We'll wait outside for you to finish if you'd like."

Lucas couldn't help but notice the way Rinie was using the hem of her dress to wipe her mother's hand where Garrett Darvin had kissed it as he shook his head before turning to Garrett to issue;

"No, our 'business' is finished here. Mr. Darvin was just leaving."

Eyeing his half brother coolly, Garrett advised;

"We'll continue our discussion another time."

Then, turning to Dara, he offered a charming smile before declaring;

"Mrs. Buck, I'm certain that I'll be seeing you again, very soon."

With that he left, pulling the door shut behind him as Rinie tugged at her mother's hand before stating in certainty;

"Mommy, that man is mean, I don't like him."

Although she couldn't deny that her own instincts were arriving at that same conclusion, Dara admonished her daughter;

"Rinie, you don't even know that man, so saying things like that isn't nice."

Both Dara and Lucas looked at each other as their youngest child stomped her foot before placing her hands on her hips to shake her head vehemently before stating stubbornly;

"Mommy, he is a mean man and he doesn't like Daddy. He's bad, Mommy."

Seeing the question in her eyes and knowing that he would have to explain everything to her sooner or later, Lucas motioned to the children before shaking his head to silently mouth;

"I'll tell you later."

Understanding her husband's meaning, Dara simply remained silent as she nodded before ushering the kids to the outer office as Lucas advised Floyd that he was leaving for the day.

Although he had enjoyed the time that he had spent with his wife and children, enjoying the movies and pizza that they had treated their children to, Lucas couldn't fully push the thought of Garrett Darvin from his mind. Despite the fact that he wasn't anything less than attentive to, both, she and the children, Dara knew that there was a lot weighing on her husband's mind. The realization of just how heavy that weight must be was glaringly obvious to her after she had finished tucking the children into bed and returned to the living room to find her husband staring into the empty fireplace, lost in deep thought.

Dara had learned, early in her marriage, that whenever Lucas was preoccupied with intense thoughts that he had a tendency to focus on the flame of a fire. Even when there was no need for a fire, such as now with the heat of late Summer upon them, he would sit and stare into the empty mouth of the fireplace and lose himself in intense thought. Realizing that whatever the 'something' was that he had promised to discuss with her earlier had to be of a fairly serious nature, as well as dealing with the man that had been in his office when she and the children had arrived in his office earlier that day. Dara quietly walked up behind him to wrap her arms around his waist as she laid her head against his back and simply held him, when she felt his hand cover her own, she offered in a quiet voice;

"Would you like to talk about it?"

When Dara felt him sigh heavily, she wasn't shocked when he turned to face her as he placed his arms around her to hold her close before confessing;

"Honestly? No, I really don't, but, I know that I promised not to keep anything from you, so I have no choice but to talk about it."

His arm around her shoulder, Lucas led her to the sofa to sit as he began;

"That man, the one in my office, he claims that he's my younger brother."

The shock of his statement registering in her eyes, Dara pointed out;

"You never mentioned a brother to me, I always thought that you were an only child."

Sighing in frustration of the situation as he nodded, Lucas explained;

"Up until today I thought I was an only child too, however, as it stands, I'm the only 'legitimate' child that Gabriel Buck fathered."

Seeing the understanding dawning in her eyes, Dara merely nodded as Lucas continued;

"And, apparently, Garrett Darvin has come to claim what he considers to be his 'birthright'."

Dara couldn't help but ponder just exactly what it was that her husband was referring to that his man could be after as she demanded;

"What kind of 'birthright', Lucas. I mean, does he want money, this house, the last name? What exactly is it that he's after?"

Running his hand through his hair in aggravation with the situation, Lucas stated in a hushed tone;

"Darlin, he isn't interested in the material aspects of the Buck family."

Comprehension of what his statement inferred, Dara's eyes widened in shock as she speculated;

"If it isn't money, the house or the last name that this man wants then there isn't but one other thing that I can think of that he would be interested in, especially if he's not interested in something material."

Dara sat silent for a moment, hoping that her husband would deny her suspicions in Garrett Darvin's motives, realizing that his continued silence, as well as the look on his face, meant that her assumptions were correct, she swallowed hard before asking softly;

"That's it, isn't it? That's what he's after and as much as I would like to believe that you can simply relinquish it, it doesn't really work that way, does it, Lucas?"

Shaking his head, Lucas admitted;

"No, darlin, I really wish that it did, but it doesn't."

Narrowing her gaze, she demanded;

"And just exactly how does it work, Lucas; what haven't you told me about all of this?"

Sighing heavily, he rose from the sofa to cross to the glass enclosed bookcase along the wall before reaching up to the top to rake the photo album that had almost cost him his family two years earlier. Returning to take his place next to his wife as he laid the book on the coffee table, he wasn't shocked when Dara glared at it before lifting her eyes up to meet his, a decidedly chilled look of determination in their depths as she stated in a frosty tone of voice;

"I don't want to see that damned book; as far as I'm concerned you can burn it."

Lucas knew, even as he took the book from the top of the bookcase, that getting her to even look at the book was going to prove difficult, at best. He couldn't blame her, especially considering that after her discovery of the book and the secrets that it held, something that came as a shock given that she had learned them through her own hidden abilities, she had been frightened enough of what she had learned of his past and the secrets that he had kept hidden from her to feel the need to take their children and leave. Lucas knew the fault had been his for not having been totally honest with her, especially considering that his grandmother had advised him of the very possibility of such a thing coming to pass unless he was completely honest with his wife. Thankfully, they had been able to reconcile their marriage as well as coming to a new understanding and level of communication that seemed to find them growing closer to each other.

Sliding his eyes towards the book now, he sighed heavily as he flipped the book open, Lucas confessed;

"I know you don't, sweetheart, but, two years ago I swore to you that I would always tell you the truth and never hide anything from you; that being the case, if I'm going to explain what's going on to you then you're going to have to see this book."

Seeing the reluctance in her eyes, Lucas pleaded;

"Darlin, do you really think that if it weren't truly important that I would subject you to ANYTHING in this book, especially considering what you went through before?"

Finally, Dara sighed in resignation as she relented;

"Alright, but the only reason that I'm agreeing to this is because of what's taking place with this man and the fact that it, obviously, poses a threat to our family."

Motioning for her to lean forward, Lucas began turning the pages until he came to the ones of baby photos, some of which easily dated back to the early days of photography. Normally, Dara would have been fascinated by the historical aspect of the photos, especially the earlier ones, but given the dark secrets that she knew the book held, the only thing that she could feel as she looked at the photos was appalled. She found herself bringing her focus back to the issue at hand as Lucas swept his hand over top of the pages that held the assortment of baby photos before turning to her;

"Do you notice anything about all of these baby pictures?"

Leaning closer as she focused her eyes on the photos, Dara read over the names and dates carefully inscribed on each picture and noticed that the photos ended with the ones of Lucas,, as she allowed her eyes to scan the pages again, she recognized that the subjects of baby photos before Lucas' were his father and grandfather by the names on the photos. Turning to her husband, she speculated;

"If I'm understanding what I'm seeing here correctly, by the dates and names, if I had to take an educated guess I would say that there seems to be only one child in each generation and they're always boys. Am I right?"

Nodding his agreement, Lucas offered her a sad smile before clarifying;

"You're exactly right, I broke the family tradition by, not only, having four.."

placing his hand over her stomach, he expounded;

"Soon bot be five. But, by also having daughters AND sons."

Confused, Dara shook her head as she admitted in frustration;

"Lucas, I don't understand, what has this got to do with Garrett Darvin?"

Lucas took a deep steadying breath as his face took on a look of deadly seriousness as he stated in a no nonsense tone;

"There can only be one in every generation who controls the power that's inherent in the Buck family and it's always a male."

Glancing back to the photos, Dara could see the truth of his words, especially as she noticed that all of the babies in the photos were boys. Her eyes widening in fear and concern, she turned back to her husband to demand in a voice filled with fright;

"Do you mean to tell me that there isn't any sharing of this power, that it has to be one or the other? Lucas, are you telling me that our sons are going to fight and try to kill each other for this God awful 'gift', what about our daughters?"

Seeing her rising panic at the thought of their children in danger, Lucas shook his head vehemently in denial, rushing to assure her as he took both her hands in his as he tried to calm her;

"No, love, that's not what I'm saying."

Pulling her into his embrace he offered;

"Darlin, our children are different from the generations past, even from me. We've taught them from the start that they all have their own special 'gifts', yes, but, using rage and anger as a driving force to fuel those abilities, that's not something that we've taught them. We've taught them about love and how to control those 'gifts', even Caleb. Our children aren't driven by the hate, rage and anger the way that all the other generations were, if they're driven at all it's by the love that we've taught them."

Pulling back to search his eyes, Dara couldn't help the sadness in her own as she asked;

"Is that what drives you, Lucas?"

Lucas couldn't help but feel the love in his heart for his wife swell as he placed his hand on her cheek to offer her a loving smile as he admitted;

"It was, but then something, or I should say, someone, changed all of that for me."

Letting his mind dwell on his memory, Lucas leaned back against the cushions of the sofa, pulling her back with him as he placed his arm around her shoulders to pull her close against his side as he explained;

"I was driven by rage, anger and hatred and I used it to turn things and people in the directions that I wanted them to go, those feelings gave fuel to the abilities that I have and it made them even more powerful. But, there came a day that I saw this whirlwind blow into Trinity that blew through this town and my life with more force than a tornado or hurricane. The funny thing about it was that it was harnessed in this five foot two inch package that couldn't weigh more than about a hundred and ten pounds, at best."

Looking down into her eyes, he couldn't help but smile as he shook his head;

"God, I thought that you were the most beautiful thing that I had ever seen, I still do. I never believed in angels, but the minute I saw you I knew that they had to exist because the first thought that came to my mind when I looked into those beautiful eyes of yours was that you reminded me of one. When I noticed you from the window across the street that day I knew that you would definitely be worth pursuing, for fun if for nothing else."

Her eyes widening in astonishment, Dara tilted her head to the side in contemplation as she remembered the no nonsense way that he had made his intentions clear from the very beginning as she questioned;

"I don't understand, you never came across as anything but serious and determined in your intentions, even from the first. What changed your mind?"

Chuckling as he smiled ruefully, Lucas confessed;

"Truthfully; the minute I looked into your eyes and when I saw your attitude. You seemed immune to my charms, something that was a new territory for me, plus I could see you weren't the type of woman who played around, something else that was new to me. But, any doubts that I had as to just how truly different and special you were, those doubts vanished when I looked into your eyes. I remember thinking to myself; 'i_f I could lose myself in those eyes I would die a happy man'_."

Shaking his head as he smiled at the memory, Lucas continued;

"I knew then that you were what I wanted for the rest of my life. I found that my life was being driven by a different force after that, I felt more love and happiness, especially whenever I thought of you or was with you, it was then that I realized that all of the rage was disappearing."

Unable to prevent the blush of pleasure she felt at her husband's admission of the importance she played in his life from creeping into her cheeks, Dara couldn't help but offer him a look of genuine love as she placed her hand on his cheek, then, remembering the issue they were discussing, she frowned slightly as she turned serious;

"Alright, so what do we do about Garrett Darvin? If I understood you right, you're not simply able to relinquish this 'power', so that means that it's either you or him, and call me cynical, but I just don't see him as being the type to play fair and above board."

Finding his reveries at an end and the blunt aspect of the situation forced back into the forefront of their attention, Lucas sighed in frustration as he reluctantly admitted;

"Right now there's not really anything that we can do except wait and see just what he's planning on doing. I have no idea just what he is or isn't capable of and whether or not he's just blowing smoke and trying to pull off a bluff. However, what concerns me the most if the fact that he knows that you're pregnant, don't ask me how he does, but he does, so I want you to be damned sure that you use extreme caution; alright?"

Nodding her agreement, Dara couldn't help but wonder as she narrowed her eyes in consideration before wondering aloud;

"There's something that I wonder though; your father died when you were fairly young, right?"

At his silent nod of agreement, she continued with her speculation;

"Well, if that's the case and this man is illegitimate and he's younger than you are, then couldn't it be a possibility that he's lying about it? I mean how on earth could he be certain, given how long your father has been dead, that you have the same father?"

Shaking his head, he admitted;

"I can understand why you would question that, darlin, but, as much as I wish I didn't, I believe him."

Shrugging in amazement, she demanded;

"Why? Honey, without a DNA test, how can you be so certain that he's who he says he is?"

Turning to the book, Lucas flipped the pages until he came to a loose photo that had been left between pages, pulling the picture from between the pages, he turned it to where she could see the image. Reflexively, she was about to take the picture in her hand when he held it back before shaking his head vehemently;

"I wouldn't, darlin, not if I were you. Remember, I'm not the only one who tends to see photos in a rather in depth manner. Not to mention, I don't think that you would particularly want to see what this one can show you."

The fear of his statement evident in her eyes, Lucas rushed to assure her;

"It's okay, here, just look at it."

Holding the photo for her, Dara studied it as she realized that it was a photo of Gabriel Buck as well as a woman, she couldn't help but notice that she was able to see features between the two subjects in the photo that she had seen earlier that day in Garrett Darvin. Lifting her eyes to stare into her husband's she ventured;

"I'm assuming that this would be your father and the woman would be Garrett Darvin's mother?"

Nodding, Lucas placed the photo back into the book before closing it as he explained;

"Darvin had a photo similar to this one today of Gabriel, plus,"

His features hardening, Lucas confessed;

"I knew about the woman, I just never knew that she had a child."

Shocked by his admission, Dara demanded;

"What do you mean that you knew about the woman?"

Rising from the sofa to cross to the sideboard cabinet, Lucas opened the cabinet at the top to pour himself a good bit of brandy before returning to the sofa as he took a long drink from the glass before he explained;

"Gabriel use to brag when he'd be gone all night that he was visiting the woman who should have been my mother. He told me, more than once, that had he known just how worthless my mother was he would have never bothered marrying her, let alone wasted his 'one shot', as he put it, on me. He said that he would have married Lila Darvin and had a child with her so that he wouldn't have had to worry about whether or not their child would grow up to become a real 'Buck'."

Taking another sip from the glass, Lucas offered a humorless chuckle as he turned to pin his wife with his eyes before recalling;

"Do you know, the only time that man ever praised me for anything done right, was the night that he died. When he realized that I was responsible, as he was dying he looked at me and told me that I had finally proven that I was finally worthy of being called his son."

Closing her eyes as she shook her head, Dara tried to process the pain in her heart that she was feeling for her husband's own heartache. When she opened her eyes again, she found her husband staring at her, his eyes narrowed to mere slits as he growled in a low tone;

"Don't you dare pity me. You seem to forget, he paid for it, I made sure of that."

Lucas couldn't deny the sadness that he saw in the depth of her eyes, or the love, as she took the glass from his hand to set it on the table before taking his hand in hers as she offered softly;

"My darling heart, you have never had my pity. What you saw is the regret that I feel for what you've had to endure in your life. And let me assure you, your father was the one with the issues, my love, despite everything, you are a good man, a wonderful husband and a wonderful father. Now, what about this woman."

Feeling regret for his accusation, Lucas brought her hand to his lips to kiss her palm before giving a slight shake of his head as he offered;

"I'm sorry, darlin, I should have known better. Alright, back to Lila; anyway, I would bet that Gabriel had no idea that he had fathered another child, especially since I saw her at his funeral and she didn't appear to be pregnant. He never divorced my mother, but I know that when he died, everything passed into my possession and Mama Lucy was my guardian, she made sure that everything stayed in tact for me. I never heard anything more about her until he showed up today."

Processing all of the information she had just learned, Dara theorized;

"Then it sounds as if she wasn't even aware herself that she was pregnant when your father died. But, Lucas, I'm certain that your father wasn't the most discreet man in the world, especially when it comes to bragging about his wealth, if that's the case then, with a child on the way especially his child, wouldn't she have made some attempt at claiming a portion of it, I mean at least enough to support she and the child?"

Rubbing his chin with his hand, Lucas admitted;

"I've thought about that aspect too, darlin. However, at that time in the state of South Carolina, illegitimate children had to be specifically mentioned in the will to be able to receive anything, unless a trust of some sort was established. I do know that there was a irrevocable trust in her name that was funded outside of what was left to me."

Shaking his head, he offered his own theory;

"As much as I hate mentioning this, do you remember what happened with Gail and Caleb?"

Shuddering, Dara nodded as she recalled her discovery of the events that had preceded Caleb's cousin, Gail Emory's death. As she had learned when she had counseled Caleb, Gail and Lucas had and affair resulting in Gail's pregnancy, however, due to an attempt on Lucas' life by the head doctor of Fulton County General that resulted in Lucas being left in a weakened and incapacitated state, Caleb's own abilities rose to a level that found the boy almost consumed beyond redemption especially when he learned that his cousin was expecting a baby, something he couldn't allow if he was to be in sole control of the power of the Buck family. Although Lucas recovered it wasn't in time to stop Caleb from causing his cousin's miscarriage by causing her to fall down the staircase, something that also found her with several other injuries. While she seemed to have recovered form the injuries well enough, there was also speculation as to what psychological damage she may have suffered given that she had locked herself in, what was left of, her parents' newspaper office before she lit it on fire to finish its destruction by fire, something she set in motion prior to placing a gun in her mouth and pulling the trigger.

Bringing her thoughts back to the issue at hand, Dara swallowed hard to push the images back down as she ventured;

"Yes, I remember, but what has that got to do with this?"

Shrugging slightly, Lucas pondered;

"It could be that Gabriel had warned her of the possible dangers if she were to have a child by him and she felt it best not to mention it. But, once her child was grown she felt the danger had passed so she must have told him who his father was and whatever she knew about the Buck family."

Seeing the fear in her eyes and knowing what was provoking it, Lucas shook his head as he took her hands to reassure her;

"Baby, I swear, you don't have to worry about our kids. You see how much they all love each other; like I said earlier, we've taught them love, not rage, hatred and anger so we don't have to worry on that score."

Lucas found himself relieved when she let out a sigh of relief before she questioned;

"Alright, I trust you, but what about Caleb? I mean, he's old enough now that he's pretty much leading his own life and since he's not at home that much, shouldn't he know what's going on too?"

Nodding, Lucas agreed;

"Yes I do and that's why I'm going to talk to him about all of this tomorrow when he gets home from Boone's."

With that he rose from the sofa to place the book back well out of reach and sight of their children. Turning he suggested;

"Darlin, I'm tired and I know that if I am then you surely must be. Besides, you and the baby both need the rest. Why don't we go to bed?"

Approaching the sofa, he held his hand out to help her rise before putting his arm around her shoulder as they made their way upstairs. Once they were settled for the night, he was relieved to see that she had drifted off to sleep with little trouble. Holding her close, Lucas stared down into her sleeping face before brushing a wisp of hair from her face as he spoke softly;

"It's going to be alright, love, I promise. Whatever happens I'm going to make sure that you and our children are safe."

Placing a soft kiss on her forehead, he pulled her closer and closed his eyes, confident that he could keep his promise to her.

The next day, when Caleb walked in the door from his best friend's house, Lucas was sitting in the den reading the paper when he heard the door open and close. Catching a glimpse of his son about to head up the staircase in the mirror he called;

"Caleb, son, could I talk to you for a second?"

Hearing the rapid succession of footsteps on the staircase, Lucas wasn't shocked when a second later, Caleb peeked in the doorway to look at his father strangely before taking a seat in the chair across from him as he asked hesitantly;

"I'm not in any trouble am I?"

Shaking his head, Lucas sought to relieve the boy;

"No, son, you're not in any trouble. But, I do have something serious that I need to talk to you about."

Caleb sat back and listened in shock to his father's explanation of the visit that he had received from Garrett Darvin the day before as well as the discussion that he and Dara had afterwards. Once he had finished he studied his son's reaction and realized just how taken off guard the boy truly was as Caleb asked in uncertainty;

"So what you're telling me is that this guy is your half brother; right?"

Nodding, Lucas admitted;

"Yes and, apparently, he's come here to claim what he thinks is his 'birthright'."

Furrowing his brow in concentration as he recalled something that his father had told him years before, Caleb asked;

"Wait a minute, didn't you tell me one time that only one in every generation could claim and control the 'power' in the Buck family?"

Although he was glad that his son was so intelligent, Lucas couldn't help but find himself wishing that Caleb's memory wasn't quite as sharp as he nodded;

"Yes, I did and, at that time, I meant it too. But I want you to understand something; you and your brother and your sisters are very different. You see rage, anger and hatred have always been the driving forces in Buck men because that was what we were taught. But, you kids are a different matter, your mother and I have taught you guys how important love is and that's the big difference. However, this man, he's a different matter altogether,"

Shaking his head, Lucas admitted;

"The only thing that he seems to have in him is rage, anger and hatred and I get the feeling that he'll try anything and everything he can think of to get his way."

The worry showing in his young face, Caleb demanded, the alarm apparent in his voice;

"But, Dad, if that's the case then he's going to have to go through you, won't he?"

After the incident of their family's separation two years prior, Lucas had made a blanket policy that he would be nothing but completely honest with his wife and, depending on what information he and Dara decided should be known to them, as honest with their children as possible. Seeing the look his eldest son was wearing now, he decided that transparency was the best policy as he nodded;

"You're right, I'm sure that he'll try to go through me. But, 'try' is the operative word here."

Understanding his father's meaning, Caleb nodded before he locked eyes with his father to express another area that he felt should be addressed;

"But what about Mama, I mean, don't you think that he might try to use her somehow to get to you, especially considering that she's pregnant?"

Leaning back in his chair, Lucas agreed with his son's theory;

"Your mother knows all about this, like I told you, we discussed everything last night so she'll be on her guard. But, I agree with you, I wouldn't put it past him to try and do something to her to try to get my attention."

Realizing that all he could do was trust his father's instincts, Caleb sighed in resignation as he ventured;

"Well, I guess that all we can do for now is to keep an eye on him and to be as prepared as possible."

Although Lucas nodded in agreement with his son's statement, he couldn't deny that he was no happier over the prospect of simply sitting back and waiting to see what Garrett Darvin might do then his wife or eldest son were. However, he also knew that no alternatives were presenting themselves at that moment and that being the case all he could do was to wait and hope that whatever dangers the man posed would become apparent long before they became an issue.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

It seemed an eternity as time drug by while Lucas and Dara waited on pins and needles to see what, if any, move Garrett Darvin would make towards making good his threats. Both could see the toll that the stress of waiting was having on each other; Dara could see that her husband's temper was growing shorter as well as finding him, often, in an irritable mood, while Lucas could see that the symptoms of Dara's pregnancy were becoming increasingly intense and difficult for her to deal with, that was aside from the difficulty that she had begun having when it came to sleeping. The boiling point of their stress level came about four weeks after Darvin's confrontation with Lucas; Dara, who was eight weeks into her pregnancy, sat straight up in bed, screaming from a nightmare as she yelled;

"STOP HIM, HE'S GOT MY CHILDREN!"

Having woken instantly, Lucas grabbed her by her arms to give her a gentle shake in his attempt to wake her;

"Dara, honey, wake up! Baby, it's just a nightmare! I promise, the kids are all asleep and they're just fine."

Although she was awake, Lucas could still see the frantic look in her eyes as she broke from his hold to bolt from the bed and out into the hallway to enter the children's room. Lucas reached her just as she was opening the door to Caleb's bedroom to assure herself that he was alright as well. Reaching around her to quietly pull the door closed, Lucas softly whispered;

"Sweetheart, are you satisfied now? The kids are all fine and they're all asleep in their beds."

She simply nodded before bowing her head, feeling shame over her panic, as she began weeping softly. Pulling her to him to hold her close, Lucas could feel her small frame shaking with the tears that she was now shedding. Worrying that the children might wake up and not wanting their children to see her in this condition as well as knowing how devastated she would be if that were to happen, Lucas lifted her in his arms to carry her back to their room. Pushing the door closed, he settled in the rocking chair by the window with her in his lap and just held her to let her cry out her frustration and anger with their situation. Realizing that she had quieted, he placed his finger under her chin to lift her eyes to meet his as he asked softly;

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she explained in a defeated voice;

"I had a dream that he had our children and that no one would stop him. All I could see was that the babies were crying and screaming for him to let them go and that he was dragging Caleb; I guess that he must have hit him because he was unconscious. But there wasn't anything that I could do to stop him and I couldn't find you anywhere."

Nodding his understanding, Lucas began stroking her hair as he tried soothing her;

"I promise it's alright, love, it really was just a dream. Dara you know that I would rather die then to let him or anyone else harm either you or the kids. You saw for yourself, baby, the kids are all fine."

The sadness and uncertainty evident in her eyes, Dara shook her head;

"Lucas, I know that deep down, inside, that you would die before you would ever let anything happen to us. But, honey, we have no idea as to what he's going to do and it's been over a month since he approached you and we haven't heard anything from him since. I would love to think that he was bluffing and he just simply let it all go, but I think we both know that isn't really an option, at least not where he's concerned."

The tears began falling from her eyes as she shook her head before admitting in a slightly defeated tone;

"I'm sorry, but I'm scared, I just can't help it."

Laying her head against his chest she began weeping once more as Lucas held her closer. Pain tearing at his heart for the fear and worry she was suffering, especially in her condition, he swore that her nightmare would never become a reality.

Although Dara's outburst over her nightmare had seemed to help clear some of the tension for, both, she and Lucas; they still seemed to find themselves anxious over what possible intentions Garrett Darvin might have. The reality of just how deadly his intentions truly were came six weeks later, as Dara was celebrating her birthday with her family and friends. Having decided that, not only, should her thirty-first birthday be celebrated, but, that given how stressful the situation with Garrett Darvin had proven so far, Lucas was determined that she would enjoy the day as much as possible. To that end, he had enlisted the aid of Caleb, the Crowers, Ben and Floyd to help plan a surprise party to mark her day, although he had convinced her that they would simply enjoy a quiet evening at her favorite restaurant, just the two of them. Given that Loris Crower had volunteered to baby-sit the three younger children while Caleb gave the excuse of having a date, Dara was none the wiser as to the surprise awaiting her.

As Lucas walked through the door of his home, he was in hopes that his wife would be in a celebratory mood for their evening. Despite the fact that the symptoms of her morning sickness had seemed to ease and appeared to be almost gone, she still seemed to have an issue with fatigue and even emotional outbursts, something Lucas felt tied in to the fact of caring for three young children and the stress of the situation with his half brother. Hearing the sound of music coming from the direction of their bedroom, Lucas hurried upstairs to find his wife almost dressed as she was finishing with brushing her hair. Leaning against the doorway, unnoticed, Lucas stood watching her, unable to stop the smile of pleasure that found its way to his lips; he had always been fascinated by the dark auburn color that reminded him of dark, burnt rubies tinged with gold, as well as the curling waving mass that fell halfway down her back. He found his thoughts interrupted as he heard his wife offer;

"A penny for your thoughts."

Noticing that she was watching him in the mirror, he crossed the space to stand behind her as he took the brush from her hand and finished brushing out the length for her before confessing;

"To be honest? I was just thinking about how much I love your hair, that's all."

Feigning a look of disappointment as she caught his gaze in the mirror to pout;

"Well that's disappointing; I always thought that it was my body that you loved."

Laughing at her humor, he bent his head to kiss the side of her neck as he ventured;

"I do, darlin, not to mention your mind, your eyes and everything else about you, most especially your heart. Hmm, I guess that I just love everything about you, but,"

Turning her to face him, he held her to him as he placed a loving kiss on her lips before leaning his forehead against hers to offer;

"I most assuredly love you, ALL of you."

Dara couldn't help the smile of love that curled the corners of her mouth, but turning serious she questioned;

"You do realize, my love, that I'm not exactly thrilled over the prospect of observing my thirty-first birthday; don't you? All that means is that I'm getting older,"

Placing her hand over her swollen abdomen, she stated ruefully;

"and fatter."

Shaking his head, Lucas denied;

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, but I don't see it. To me, you look even younger than you did when I first laid eyes on you and you always will. As for this,"

placing his hand over her own he looked into her eyes as he smiled warmly;

"I happen to think that it adds a certain beauty and sexiness that drives me absolutely wild. You're beautiful irregardless, darlin, but when you're pregnant you absolutely glow."

Encircling his neck with her arms, Dara lifted on tiptoe to place a kiss on his cheek before laughing slightly;

"Both, my pride and my vanity thank you, my darling heart. And now, your child and I happen to be very hungry, so let's go."

Stepping aside to allow her to precede him down the stairs he shook his head, silently grateful for her good mood as she grabbed her purse from the the hallway table before making her way out the front door.

Having mutually agreed to table any discussion of Garrett Darvin for the evening, Lucas and Dara found that they were able to put the man from their minds and enjoy their time together. Dara, especially, was relieved to simply be able to enjoy her husband's company as they chatted back and forth on their way to the restaurant, happy to enjoy each other's company. Although she couldn't deny that she was most definitely hungry, Dara felt a certain disappointment as they reached the restaurant that they were leaving the intimate sanctuary of their car and the time spent in conversation, without the worry of Garrett Darvin hovering over their heads. Pushing the feeling down, she took her husband's hand as he opened her door for her to lead her inside; approaching the hostess, Lucas advised her that they wanted a table. Glancing through her list, the young woman, Cindy, who Dara recognized as one of the volunteers at the Outreach Center, shook her head as she offered apologetically;

"Sheriff, I'm really sorry, but we seem to be pretty busy tonight. But, if you wouldn't mind too much, I can open up the banquet room and let you have a table in there if you'd rather."

Seizing the offer, Lucas nodded;

"That would be just fine, Cindy, it's my wife's birthday and since this is her favorite birthday I wouldn't want to disappoint her."

The girl's eyes widening in surprise, Cindy offered a genuine smile as she congratulated;

"Happy birthday, Mrs. Buck and by the way, congratulations on the new baby."

Dara found herself blushing delicately at the reminder of her condition as she expressed;

"Thank you, Cindy."

Leading the way to the back section of the restaurant, Cindy glanced over her shoulder to offer;

"You know, Mrs. Buck, we sure do miss you at the center, especially the kids, they keep asking when you're going to be coming back. By the way, when is the new baby due?"

Holding her hand up as she laughed slightly, Dara pleaded;

"One thing at a time, Cindy; as far as when I'll be back, I'm going to try and be there at least once a week, if possible, but with three little ones and one on the way, I'm doing a lot of my work from home. But to answer your other question, the baby is due around the middle of April."

Nodding, Cindy ventured;

"Well if there's anything that I can do to help at the center to make things easier for you, just yell and let me know."

Approaching the screen which closed off the banquet room, Cindy grasped the handle in her hand before stating;

"Here we are, just pick a table, Sheriff Buck."

With that, she pushed the doorway open and stepped aside, letting Dara proceed into the room as she flipped the light switch before everyone in the room yelled;

"SURPRISE!"

Dara's eyes widened in shocked pleasure as she brought her hands up to cover her mouth before laughing as she turned to her husband to place her hands on her hips before stating, rather than asking;

"You arranged all of this, didn't you?"

Shrugging his broad shoulders, Lucas admitted;

"Well, part of it, all of us wanted to surprise you so everyone helped with the planning."

Reaching up, Dara placed a kiss on his cheek as she offered in gratitude;

"Thank you, honey. I was definitely surprised and I love that you all did this for me, even if it is my thirty-first birthday."

Ignoring everyone else's presence, Lucas placed his hand along her cheek before shaking his head;

"Darlin, I don't see this as your thirty-first, you certainly don't look like you're thirty-one, I think it's more like you're twenty-first."

Taking his hand in her own, Dara brought it to her lips as she whispered;

"Thank you."

Before she could say anything more, her three younger children broke free from the Crowers and Caleb to rush towards her as they threw their arms around their mother before yelling in unison;

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOMMY!"

Kneeling as far as her stomach would allow, Dara held her children close to her as she offered;

"Thank you, babies."

Taking her hand, Alex pulled her towards the table, piled high with gifts as Riesa eagerly demanded;

"We want to see what you got, Mommy, open your presents."

Dara couldn't help but laugh as she begged;

"We'll open everything in just a short bit, I promise, but how about letting Mommy say hello to everybody first; okay?"

Although the trio offered their mother a slight pout, they agreed to their mother's request before making their way to sit next to their older brother. Approaching Matt and Loris Crower first, Dara embraced them before expressing her gratitude;

"I really appreciate that you guys thought enough of me to do this, thank you so much."

Despite the fact that she was married to Lucas Buck, both, Matt and Loris considered Dara to be their best friend, that being the case they had eagerly seized the opportunity to help Lucas and Caleb with her birthday party. Shaking his head, Matt reached out to gently pat Dara's expanding abdomen as he observed;

"Well it looks as if you've already gotten a pretty big present, which reminds me, don't forget about your appointment next week. Aside from that, don't mention it, it's not very often that we get to catch you off guard. Believe me, it was worth it to see the surprised look on your face and we enjoyed every moment of it."

Laughing, Dara accused;

"Oh, so now I know that you two had an ulterior motive for the surprise, huh?"

Glancing around, Dara frowned as she asked;

"You guys did invite Selena, didn't you?"

Nodding eagerly, Loris explained in a hushed tone;

"Yes, and she sent a gift for you. But she said to tell you that she was sorry she couldn't make it."

Stepping closer she confided in a whispered voice;

"She had the opportunity to go and see Diane's father, I think they may be trying to pull things together for her sake."

Nodding, Dara found her attention diverted as Ben and Floyd approached her to take their turn at hugging her as they greeted;

"Dara, we sure hope that you like what we got you, happy birthday."

Nodding, Dara assured them;

"Guys, thank you for thinking enough of me to help plan this and I KNOW that I'm going to like whatever gift you got me."

Looking at each other in mutual embarrassment, both men blushed as they hurried off to entertain the younger children, giving them an excuse to hide their chagrin at receiving her praise. Dara couldn't help but notice as Caleb approached her, the pretty young girl whose hand he was holding. Turning the girl's hand loose, Caleb hugged his mother tightly as he offered;

"Happy birthday, Mama, there's somebody that I'd really like you to meet."

Grasping the girl's hand he gently pulled her forward, reminding Dara of the first time that she had met Lucas' grandmother, as he introduced;

"Mama, this is Katrina Langley, she prefers to be called Trina, though."

It wasn't difficult for Dara to understand her son's attraction to the girl; she was her height with shoulder length hair that was dark with just a touch of auburn to it. Her eyes were round with a chocolate, brown hue to them that had small flecks of gold as well as being heavily lashed and she possessed a bright smile. Dara couldn't help but offer her approval as she turned to her son before addressing the girl;

"Trina, it's very nice to meet you and I'm certainly glad to see that my son has such good taste. I hope that my girls grow up to be half as pretty as you are."

Blushing at the compliment, Trina couldn't help but marvel at the fact that the wonderful things that she had heard about the woman standing in front of her were true. Although her father had been reluctant at the idea of allowing her to date Caleb, she had managed to convince him to be open minded. She knew that it had been nothing against Caleb himself, but knowing that Caleb's father was Lucas Buck had been a source of concern for her father. However, he had heard and seen a lot of wonderful things about Caleb's mother, something that had finally swayed his decision in his daughter's favor, thankfully, he had become fond of Caleb and was even grateful that they were dating. Offering a timid smile to the woman in front of her, she replied;

"Happy birthday, Mrs. Buck and thank you for the compliment."

Dara shook her head emphatically as she ordered;

"Trina, please, call me Dara."

Glancing at her son knowingly, she stated more than asked;

"You haven't introduced her to your father yet, have you?"

Shaking his head, Caleb explained;

"No, ma'am, I was waiting for tonight to surprise you both."

Realizing that he was slightly hesitant about the matter, Dara took charge;

"I can understand that, sweetie, but why don't we fix that right now."

Noticing her husband across the room, Dara caught his attention and motioned for him to join her before she turned and noticed Trina's nervousness. Extending her hand, Dara gently touched the girl's arm as she advised;

"Don't worry, sweetie, I promise you, he isn't nearly as gruff as he may appear to be."

Hurrying to join his wife, Lucas demanded, the concern evident in his voice;

"Darlin, what's the matter; you're not sick or in any pain are you, do you feel alright?"

Sharking her head in slight amusement as she chuckled slightly, Dara looked at him reproachfully;

"Lucas, I am not in any kind of pain or feeling ill, I just wanted you to meet someone, that's all."

Motioning towards their son and his girlfriend, she explained;

"Lucas, this is Trina Langley, Caleb's girlfriend."

Dara wasn't surprised by the look of shock in her husband's eyes at the announcement that their son had a girlfriend, or the glance that he cast in Caleb's direction as he offered;

"It's nice to meet you, Trina, I have to tell you, Caleb has been keeping you a secret from us."

Sensing her son's unease, Dara decided to settle the situation as she looped her arm through her husband's to draw his attention as she considered aloud;

"Well, honey, I'm sure that, since they've only recently begun dating, that Caleb was waiting for the right time to introduce Trina to us. Besides, it's always a little embarrassing going through the ritual of introducing your new girlfriend to your parents."

Noting the pleading look in his wife's eyes, Lucas relented as he nodded;

"I'm sure that you're right, honey."

Offering his hand, Lucas invited;

"Trina, it really is nice to meet you. You two go on and have a good time, Caleb will have to bring you to the house for supper soon."

At that, he turned and rejoined Ben and Floyd as they resumed their earlier discussion. Breathing a sigh of relief, Caleb grasped his mother's hand to offer;

"Thank you, Mama."

Casting the boy a puzzled look, Dara shook her head as she casually stated;

"For what, sweetie, I didn't do anything."

Moving towards the Crowers, Dara began conversing with them as Trina turned to Caleb, a look of astonishment on her face as she admitted;

"I've heard how remarkable your mother is, but I never thought that I would ever see anything like that first hand. I mean, my mom has to yell and scream at my dad just to keep him calm if he gets irritated and all your mom did was just look at your dad and he's just fine."

Caleb couldn't help but chuckle as he nodded;

"I know, it's always been that way between those two; I don't think that I've ever really heard them fight or argue. I mean, Mama has just always had this way about her and, add to that, she's always been able to wind Dad around her little finger, without even trying. But, honestly, I don't think that he would have it any other way."

Trina was contemplating Caleb's explanation when Matt approached them to usher them towards the tables;

"Come on, guys, the waitress is ready to take our orders."

Once everyone had finished their meal, the waitress brought in the birthday cake that Lucas had specifically requested. Eyeing the cake suspiciously, Dara shook her head as she turned to her husband, smiling as she ventured, knowingly;

"Red velvet with cream cheese icing, right?"

Helping her up from her chair, Lucas nodded;

"I know that it's your favorite, darlin."

As Lucas motioned for the waitress to light the candles, Dara's face took on a puzzled looked as she turned;

"Honey, I think that they've made a mistake."

Tilting his head to the side as he offered her a knowing smile, Lucas asked;

"Really, darlin, what kind of mistake?"

Glancing at the cake once more to assure herself that she was correct, Dara nodded as she confirmed;

"There aren't but three rows of seven candles, that's only twenty-one candles, they're ten off."

Shaking his head, Lucas placed his hand on her cheek as he looked into her eyes;

"No, love, I told you earlier that, to me, this is more like your twenty-first birthday, not your thirty-first. So, remember our marriage vows and humor me."

A look of wry amusement crossing her features, Dara quipped;

"Love, honor, cherish and humor. You know, honey, I don't exactly remember that part when we exchanged our vows, but, if it will make you happy."

Motioning to their three youngest children to help her, all four took a deep breath before they blew out the candles on her cake. Once the slightly melted sticks of wax had been removed, Dara, with Loris' help began cutting the cake to pass out to everyone. As soon as everyone had enjoyed a piece of their mother's birthday cake, Alex, Riesa and Rinie clamored around their mother to plead;

"Mommy, don't you want to open your presents and see what everyone got for you?"

Casting her children a knowing look, Dara couldn't help but laugh at their enthusiasm and energy as she ventured;

"Somehow, I think you three are the ones anxious to see what I got. Alright, let's open the gifts."

Lowering herself into a chair in front of the table that was holding her presents, Dara waited patiently as Alex eagerly offered her one of the gaily wrapped packages as Rinie explained;

"This is from Caleb and us, Mommy. Daddy gave us an allowance so that we could help Caleb pay for it; he even let us help him pick it out, we hope you like it Mommy."

Leaning over as far as she could, Dara placed a kiss on each child's forehead as she promised;

"You know something? I know that I'm going to love it, just because it's from my wonderful children. Not to mention I know that you guys worked hard to earn the money to help Caleb pay for it."

Tearing the wrapping from the box, she lifted the lid to find a complete video collection of movies based on the tales of Edgar Allan Poe. Dara motioned to Caleb and hugged him tightly before offering;

"Thank you so much. I don't know how you four knew that I would love to have this, but I love it."

Chuckling as he shook his head, Caleb ventured;

"To be honest, Mama, I remember you talking about watching those old movies with Grandma Gwenna and I just knew you'd like it."

Dara couldn't help but be amazed at her son's thoughtfulness as well as her gratitude at the realization that her memories didn't fall on deaf ears when she shared them. Glancing in curiosity to Trina, who was timidly offering a small package, Dara took the gift in her hands as she advised;

"Trina, sweetie, you didn't have to get me a present."

Blushing in slight embarrassment, Trina stammered;

"I know, Mrs.., I mean, Dara. But it's your birthday and I wanted to get you something. It's not really much, but I hope that you'll like it."

Dara couldn't help but offer the girl a smile filled with sweet appreciation as she began opening the gift. As she lifted the lid of the box she stared at the old 45 record in curiosity before taking it from the box, her eyes widening as she read the title before turning to Trina to demand in a quiet tone of voice;

"How on earth did you know?"

Curious, Lucas leaned over his wife's shoulder to glance at the record, noticing that it was a copy of a Patsy Cline song called; _'If I Could See The World Through The Eyes Of A Child'_, he asked;

"Is that the one you told me about?"

Nodding, Dara wiped a tear from her eye before she noticed the look of panic on the girl's face. Rushing to assure her she shook her head as she explained;

"Trina, it's alright, I promise. I don't know if you know how much this means to me, but when I was little girl, Mama would sing this song to me, just like I do for my babies. I never knew what happened to her copy but this means a great deal to me, thank you so much."

Caleb couldn't help but put his arm around her shoulders as she sighed in relief before praising;

"You see, I told you that Mama would love it. You had a great idea."

Seeing the way that their son looked at the girl, Dara squeezed her husband's hand before locking eyes with him as they exchanged knowing looks. Finding their attention brought back to the present, Dara took the box from Matt and Loris and opened it eagerly to find a beautiful crystal sculpture of the guardian angel hovering over two children. As she lifted the gift reverently from the box, Loris explained;

"That's from me, Matt and Selena. She and I saw that and we know how much you love that particular angel figure so we thought; 'why not',"

Swallowing the lump of emotion back down, Dara chuckled slightly as she speculated;

"I'm sorry, I guess I'm just a tearful mess these days, you guys are spoiling me and I just can't help but feel loved by all of you guys. Loris, Matt, I love this, thank you so much and please, if you see her before I do, tell Selena thank you."

Ben, his shyness apparent, approached Dara, Floyd close on his heels, to offer her a small, flat box. Curious, especially given the conspiratorial look that the two exchanged, Dara opened the box and found something that she had made a vague request for; a photo of her husband when he had begun working for the Sheriff's Department as a deputy in full uniform. Glancing at the photo in agitation, Lucas demanded;

"Now just where in the hell did you two manage to get that?"

Grinning opening, Ben shrugged;

"Well, I remembered Dara saying something about wondering what you looked like when you were younger and in uniform. So, when we were cleaning out the store room a couple of weeks ago and found that, we just naturally figured that with her birthday around the corner that it was fate."

Glaring at his two deputies, Lucas growled;

"Fate hell, you should have burned the damn thing."

Holding the photo close to her chest, Dara stared at him in reproach as she ordered;

"Don't you dare! This is my present and I happen to love it. Besides, would you burn a picture of me when I was younger?"

His agitation apparent, Lucas advised;

"Well that's different."

Shaking her head, Dara denied;

"No, it's not, it's exactly the same thing."

Grasping his vest to pull him slightly closer, she offered a seductive smile before speaking in a hushed tone that only he could hear, she ventured;

"If you let me keep it, I'm sure I can find a way to thank you for it later."

Leaning closer as he whispered in her ear, Lucas couldn't help the grin that found its way to his mouth; 

"I think that's more than fair, darlin."

Placing a kiss on her cheek, he glanced to Caleb and motioned for him to help him with a large present leaning against the far wall. Dara looked at it in curiosity, having missed it earlier as Lucas and Caleb placed it on a chair to make it easier for her open it. She turned to her husband questioningly, unable to fathom what could possibly be under the wrapping as he held his hand out to help her rise from her chair. Approaching the gift, Dara reached her hand out tentatively as she glanced to Lucas in uncertainty who nodded before offering;

"Go ahead, darlin, it's for you."

Stepping closer to the gift, she gently tore at the wrapping to expose one corner and realized that it was a painting of some sort. Pulling more of the paper away to reveal a larger portion, Dara's eyes widened as she exclaimed;

"Oh my God, it can't be!"

Revealing all of the painting, Dara stood, staring at it in amazed awe as everyone came closer to view the painting before Rinie pointed to observe;

"Mommy, that lady looks like you and that little girl looks like Riesa, but who is that man?"

Placing her arms around her children, Dara explained;

"Baby, that little girl is me and the lady is your Grandma Gwenna, my mama, the man is your Granddad Alex."

Turning, to face her husband, and oblivious to the presence of others, Dara threw her arms around her husband's neck as she whispered;

"I don't know how you did this, but thank you so much, my love."

Holding her tightly, Lucas nodded as he replied;

"Sweetheart, you're more than welcome."

Pulling back slightly as he brushed her tears away he explained;

"As far as how did I do this; I found the pieces of the photo that you had in the envelope and I knew you didn't have the heart to get rid of them, even though Seth had ripped it to pieces. I took them to the man who painted it and he was willing to put the pieces together enough to get a pretty accurate idea of what it had looked like and I just took him some photos of your mother, father and you so he got the features right. Judging by your reaction, I'd like to think he got it right."

Nodding, Dara offered him a loving smile as she put his fears at ease;

"Yes, he did a fantastic job, just like you did."

Seeing that he was intruding on a special moment Dan, the manager approached them, holding a small, square gaily wrapped box with balloons attached, a look of embarrassed chagrin on his face as he rushed to apologize;

"Sheriff Buck I'm sorry to interrupt the party, but this gift was just delivered for your wife and I thought that I'd bring it on back."

Looking at the package in suspicion, Lucas demanded;

"Who delivered it, Dan?"

Shrugging in uncertainty, Dara admitted;

"I believe it was the floral delivery service, but to be honest, Sheriff, I'm not really sure. I was in the kitchen when it was delivered."

Taking the box and giving it a slight shake, Lucas thought that it sounded safe enough before turning to Dara to question;

"Darlin, any idea?"

Giving a slight shake of her head, Dara speculated;

"Well, this is a small town so it could be possible that the delivery man knew that we were here and it's not out of realm of possibility that one of my sisters, if not both, could have done this."

Offering Dan his thanks as the man left the room, Lucas handed the package to Dara. While he could see her reasoning and logic, he just couldn't shake the feeling that something didn't feel right about it. Helping her as she lowered herself into her chair as she set the package on the table, as she prepared to open it, Lucas ventured;

"You're probably right."

Finding his attention drawn away from her by their youngest son, Lucas was shocked when he heard his wife scream at the top of her lungs as she lifted the lid of the box. In her haste to try and rise from her chair, Dara had inadvertently knocked the box on its side, allowing the occupant to crawl onto the table. Their eyes widening in fear, all three younger children began screaming and crying as the huge tarantula managed to crawl onto their mother's hand, which she had placed on the table to help push herself up from her chair. His reflexes kicking in, Lucas quickly knocked the huge spider, which was the size of a baseball, from his wife's hand and managed to catch her when she fainted from fright. Turning to Ben and Floyd, Lucas roared;

"YOU TWO GET THAT DAMNED THING BACK IN THAT BOX AND GET IT THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"

Spurred to action, Ben snatched an empty plate from the table as Floyd held the box as Ben pushed the arachnid back into the box as Floyd shut the lid tightly before turning to ask;

"What should we do with it, Lucas?"

Glaring at his deputy, furious with the situation, Lucas growled;

"Floyd, I don't give a damn what you do with that thing, just get it away from my wife and kids."

Turning as he was reminded of his three younger children by their frightened crying, Lucas turned to Caleb and Trina to order;

"Caleb, I want you and Trina to take your brother and sisters home and please try and calm them down."

His own eyes flashing with the fire of his anger of the idea of his mother being placed in harm's way, Caleb pinned his father with his eyes as he demanded in a taut voice;

"What are you going to do about this?"

His own look conveying an attitude of deadly seriousness, Lucas issued;

"Whatever I have to do and whatever it takes."

Satisfied with his father's answer, Caleb offered a slight nod as he and Trina gathered his brother and sisters to lead them out of the room. Matt, ever the medical professional, had Dara's hand in his own as he was examining it in obvious concern. Finally, shaking his head, he ventured;

"I don't see any bite marks so I don't think that it bit her. I think that she fainted more from the shock of the fright."

Nodding his agreement, Lucas speculated;

"I know that she did. I take it you weren't aware that she's arachnophobic."

Shaking his head as he eyes registered the depth of his concern, Matt admitted;

"I knew that she didn't like spiders and that she's afraid of snakes, but I didn't realize that she was so terrified of spiders."

Seeing a flicker of something in Lucas' eyes, Matt voiced his suspicions;

"You know who did this, don't you?"

Sighing in frustration, Lucas nodded before glancing around to ensure that no one, save Loris, was present as he admitted;

"My brother did this."

The shock obvious in her face, Loris observed;

"But I thought that you were an only child."

Shaking his head ruefully, Lucas admitted;

"So did I until a few weeks ago. He's determined to claim, what he considers, his birthright."

Glancing between his wife and Lucas and noting the identical looks of concern that they had exchanged, Matt decided to let the matter go for the moment before he addressed a more immediate concern;

"Do you think that we should take her to the hospital?"

Studying his wife's face, relaxed in unconsciousness, Lucas noticed her eyelids fluttering as they opened before widening in panic as she remembered what had been in the box. Holding her to him more closely, he rushed to assure her;

"Baby, I promise that it's alright, we got rid of it and you weren't bitten so you're fine, you just fainted."

Although she relaxed, he could sense and see the worry in her eyes and realizing it centered around their children, he offered;

"I sent them home with Caleb, they're fine, I promise."

Offering a slight nod as she sighed in relief, Dara pleaded;

"I don't feel very well, can we please go home?"

Nodding his agreement, Lucas turned to the Crowers, a pleading look on his face as he motioned to the gift laden table. Understanding his silent request, Loris suggested;

"You go ahead and take her home and put her to bed, we'll tend to all of this and I'll come by and check on her tomorrow."

Lucas offered his thanks as he placed his arm around his wife and half guided, half carried her through the restaurant. Noticing the stares of several patrons as they made their way to the door, Dara lowered her head in embarrassment before Lucas noticed her distress and turned an icy glare towards the direction of those causing his wife such discomfort. Satisfied as he noted how quickly the curious onlookers returned to their own meals to avoid incurring Sheriff Buck's displeasure. He wasn't surprised when a very chagrined Dan rushed to hold open the door as he apologized profusely;

"Sheriff, I am so sorry. Ben told me what happened and if I had any idea of what was in that box, I would never have brought it back there."

Offering a slight nod, Lucas assured the man;

"Dan, it's alright, I know it wasn't your fault and I know the source so I'll take care of it."

Watching as the door closed behind them, Dan couldn't help but shake his head as he was willing to bet that the poor bastard who had enough nerve to pull such a stunt had no idea of what he was about to face. Especially considering that there wouldn't be much left of him when Lucas Buck got through with him. Outside in the parking lot, just as they had almost reached their car, Lucas turned, concerned as Dara stopped suddenly;

"Darlin, what is it?"

Pulling away from him slightly as she swayed somewhat, Dara held her head down as she swallowed hard and closed her eyes before admitting in a quivering voice;

"Lucas, I really don't feel well at all. It's like the world is spinning, out, of con.."

He could tell by the way her words had begun to trail off that she was losing her battle with the dizziness that she had been suffering, that being the case, he tightened his grip under her arm as she lost consciousness to keep her from falling to the pavement of the parking lot. Placing his free arm under her legs he swept her up in his arms and closed the distance to their car; once he had her settled in the front seat and had closed her door, he heard a vaguely familiar voice taunt sarcastically;

"I guess the birthday party didn't go so well tonight, huh big brother?"

Lucas spun around to come face to face with Garrett Darvin. Snarling, the rage evident on his face, Lucas accused;

"Since I'm sure that we have you to thank for that little 'pet' that my wife received, you already know the answer to that question."

Shrugging his black clad shoulders, Garrett offered nonchalantly;

"What can I say, I thought that she might like a little 'pet' around the house and since she's one of a kind I thought that a 'one of a kind' pet, like a tarantula, would be a good fit."

His chest rising and falling heavily with his anger, Lucas glared at the man as he seethed;

"Given your resourcefulness when it comes finding out information, I'm sure that you're more than aware of why we wouldn't own such a pet."

Snickering, Garrett replied;

"I would assume the same reason that you don't want a snake as a pet. You should really be grateful considering that I started to send you a boa constrictor, but when I thought about it, I realized that was really more of a Christmas gift."

Moving quickly, Lucas slammed Garrett against the side of the car as he pressed his forearm against his throat before hissing;

"Right now, I really would just as soon kill you and be done with it, as look at you. But, for the sake of blood and because I know how my wife would feel about it, I'm going to give you this much, now, I'm going to say this one time; leave my wife, children and me alone, or the next time I'm going to just slit your damn throat and say the hell with it. Then, when you get to Hell and meet Daddy Dearest in person, you can spend some quality time with him. Do you understand?"

Throwing the younger man from him to the ground, Lucas got into the car and pulled away. Watching them leave as he rose to his feet, Garrett sneered as he challenged;

"Big brother, you really should have just killed me, because that was your only chance. Now, the fun is really about to begin."

With that, he got into his own car and left.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

Caleb breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the car door close before hearing his father's footsteps on the porch, rushing to the door he threw it open to find his father carrying his unconscious mother. Seeing the concern and fear in his son's eyes, Lucas shook his head as he hurriedly assured the boy;

"Calm down, son. She's alright, she came to after you left but she passed out again. I think that all of the excitement was too much for her, but I think that after a little rest she'll be fine."

Hurrying up the stairs, he pushed their bedroom door open to lay Dara on the bed before searching through their dresser for her gown. He had just finished undressing her when she regained consciousness. Seeing her anxiety as she tried orienting herself to her surroundings, Lucas placed his hand on her shoulder as he assured her;

"Darlin, it's alright, you passed out but we're home now. Let me get your gown on you."

Silently, she nodded as she allowed him to slip the gown over her head and tuck her into bed as he suggested;

"You go on and go to sleep, darlin."

Placing a kiss on her cheek, he smoothed the hair away from her face before whispering;

"I love you."

Lucas sat on the side of the bed and held her hand as she closed her eyes and drifted off. Once he was certain that she was sound asleep and resting, he made his away across the hall to the nursery to check on their three younger children, all of whom, thankfully, were sleeping. Making his way downstairs, Lucas poured himself a cup of coffee as he waited for Caleb to return, having taken Trina home. He was on his second cup of coffee when he heard a car pull into the driveway a few minutes before Caleb let himself in the kitchen door.

Caleb couldn't help but feel highly frustrated with the entire situation, especially given the effects that he could see it was having on his parents, especially his mother. When he arrived back home and walked in the back door to find his father sitting at the table, obviously waiting up for his return, he took a moment to get himself a soda from the fridge before joining his father at the table. Opening the can of soda to take a quick sip, Caleb locked eyes with his father to demand in an even tone;

"You know exactly who sent that thing to Mama tonight, don't you?"

Running his hand through his hair as he sighed in aggravation, Lucas nodded;

"Yes dammit, I do. The bastard was waiting for us outside the restaurant to gloat."

Shock of his father's admission registering in his eyes, Caleb questioned;

"You mean to tell me that he was waiting for you and Mama when you left?"

Suspicion narrowing his eyes, Caleb ventured;

"Is that why Mama fainted again; did he say something and upset her?"

Shaking his head, Lucas denied;

"No, son; like I told you, I think that the strain and the excitement were just too much for her. Crower checked her over and she wasn't bitten by that thing, so we know it wasn't that, plus, she said something before she passed out about feeling as if everything was spinning around and then she lost consciousness. No, he was waiting after I got your mother in the car to brag about what he had done; I told him that if comes near you kids or your mother again that it would be the last time; period."

Puzzled, Caleb couldn't help but shake his head as he questioned;

"Dad, I don't get it, why don't you just send this guy packing out of Trinity?"

Although Lucas knew that it was a fair question, Lucas couldn't help but feel frustrated with the simplicity that his son assumed that feat could be accomplished as he offered;

"Because, legally, I can't. No matter how much I would desperately like to do that, there isn't anything that I can do to force him to leave."

Narrowing his gaze, Caleb asked in a soft tone, full of accusation;

"Really; nothing?"

His eyes full of pleading, Lucas begged;

"Caleb, do you know what your mother would do if I were to do that?"

Shaking his head vehemently, Lucas issued;

"Son, I almost lost your mother once because of that and I won't risk losing her again."

While he could understand his father's point, Caleb couldn't help but tilt his head in quandary as he reasoned;

"Not even if it means saving her life? Dad, face it, we know that this guy is going to go for the throat and where you're concerned that means going after Mama. You do realize that it's not exactly the best kept secret in town just how much you love her, or how far you would go to protect her."

Rising from the table, Caleb offered;

"Dad, I know that you've tried really hard all these years to live up to, what you think, Mama's expectations and values are, but, right now, her life is at stake and Garrett Darvin has got to be stopped, you and I both know it."

Lucas sat for a few minutes more, considering his son's statement before deciding that the answer to his dilemma wouldn't be found at that moment. Climbing the stairs he quietly entered his bedroom and, quickly, undressed in the dark before climbing into the bed next to his wife. Placing his arms around her, he gently pulled Dara closer to him to feel her relax and sink further into sleep as he too drifted off to find some rest for the night.

As the sun shone through the thin crack between the drawn curtains of the bedroom window, Dara opened her eyes and turned her head to find her husband, raised on one elbow as he was, obviously, watching her. Biting at her bottom lip, she considered;

"I guess that I ruined the party; didn't I?"

Pushing a stray curl away from her face, Lucas shook his head as he offered;

"No, darlin, I think it's safe to say that the 'surprise' gift that you received managed to accomplish that."

Placing his hand along her cheek, he gave voice to the idea that he had been considering for most of the night and morning as he had watched her sleep;

"Sweetheart, I'm thinking that it might be a good idea if you and the kids packed up and went to your sister's. That way, I can at least get you out of the line of fire."

He wasn't surprised when she shook her head before stating fiercely;

"No; we said for better or worse and that doesn't just apply to you when it comes to living up to that vow. Darling, we managed to get through the other bad times that we've been through and we're going to manage to get through this too."

Moving closer to him, as if seeking warmth and comfort, Dara snuggled closer as he placed his arms around her to confess;

'Besides that, I don't think that I could stand the idea of being away from you right now, or for that matter, any other time."

Placing a kiss on her forehead, Lucas admitted;

"I know that, for your and the kids' sake, I should make you leave, but the idea of being separated from you and the kids isn't something that I want to even think about either. We're going to figure something out, but in the meantime, we're just going to have to be extra careful. Now, that being the case that also means that we're going to have get someone that we can trust in to help you out with the house and the kids; unfortunately, I'm not sure exactly who that's going to be right this second."

Remaining silent, Dara considered his words for a moment as she realized just how right her husband was, although not solely for the reasons that he thought. Unwilling to add more stress and concern to the already tense situation, she had refrained from telling Lucas that she was having a severe problem with fatigue, especially in the past few weeks. Luckily, with her eldest son's unknowing help, she had been able to stave off the issue by sneaking a nap in the afternoon while Caleb kept his siblings occupied prior to Lucas' arrival home from work. While she had suffered with fatigue during her previous pregnancies, the degree to which she now found herself suffering was more severe than her previous experiences. Giving thought to his suggestion of seeking help, she simply nodded her agreement, choosing to remain silent.

Studying her face carefully, Lucas couldn't help but notice the dark circles ringing her eyes, something made even more obvious by her pallor. He couldn't help but feel a sting of guilt, although he knew that she had been tired lately, he had failed to notice, until now, just how worn out she truly appeared. Pushing her hair over her shoulder, he asked thoughtfully;

"Sweetheart, are you sleeping alright? You have circles under your eyes and you look worn out."

Trying to sidetrack his suspicions, Dara offered a slight smile as she hurriedly rose from the bed to grab her robe;

"I'm fine, love, I'm just a little tired, that's all. I need to get up so I can fix the kid's their breakfast."

Lucas watched as she hurried from the room, wondering if she was being completely honest with him or if she was simply trying to allay his concerns due to the situation with Garrett Darvin. Realizing that the answer wasn't going to reveal itself at that particular moment, he made his way to the bathroom to grab a quick shower in preparation for the day ahead.

Downstairs, Dara was pulling pots and pans from the cabinets, trying to distract herself from the thoughts swirling though her mind. She couldn't help but feel guilty for having deceived her husband, although the truth be told, she wasn't certain if she was actually being deceptive given that she wasn't quite sure if there was even a problem or if she was simply feeling the symptoms of her pregnancy more acutely due to her age. However, she also wasn't given the opportunity for further consideration of the situation due to the severe wave of dizziness that took hold of her, forcing her to drop the pot that she had been holding with a clank as she grabbed the counter top to brace herself as she waited for the wave to pass. She wasn't surprised to hear her husband demand as he hurriedly descended the staircase;

"Dara, honey, are you okay?"

Composing herself, Dara attempted a reassuring smile as he entered the kitchen, a look of deep concern on his face as she rushed to offer;

"I'm fine, darling, I just accidentally dropped a pan, it just slipped, that's all."

Casting her a look of suspicion, Lucas couldn't shake the feeling that she was hiding something from him, but, at that moment, he also wasn't quite certain as to what that 'something' could be. However, there was one thing that he knew, without a doubt, his wife was not a clumsy woman, which was why he had such a difficult time believing she simply 'dropped' the pan. Although, given the events of the night before he could see why she would be stressed and possibly out of sorts, which was why he chose to simply let it pass as he retrieved the pan before helping her prepare breakfast for their children.

After the children had all assured themselves that their mother was, indeed, fine after the events of the night before, they sat down to enjoy their morning meal, choosing to remain silent regarding the events of the previous night's get together. Despite the fact that it was a Saturday, Lucas' presence was still needed at the station, however, he didn't feel comfortable leaving Dara and the younger children on their own. Turning to his eldest child, he inquired;

"What's on your agenda for today, Caleb?"

Pouring syrup over his waffles before taking a bite, Caleb shook his head as he offered;

"Nothing, Dad. Why, what's up?"

Lowering his voice, Lucas motioned to Dara, who had just made her way to the refrigerator to refill her and Rinie's juice glasses as he explained;

"I was hoping that you might stay close to home today, just in care your mother needs you."

Understanding his father's concern, Caleb simply nodded while Lucas approached the other issue he wanted to discuss;

"By the way, would you like to tell me why you waited so long to introduce your girlfriend to your mother and I?"

Shrugging in uncertainty, Caleb rushed to assure his father;

"Dad, I promise there wasn't really any particular reason. We haven't been dating all that long and I wasn't sure, given what's been going on, when a good time might be, so I decided that if we were still dating by Mama's birthday then I would introduce her to you and Mama then, that's all."

Seeing the genuineness in his son's face, Lucas simply nodded his understanding before rising from his chair to make the rounds of kissing the top of each child's head before turning to his wife to hold his hand out to her;

"Darlin, would you like to walk me to the door?"

Taking the hand he offered to pull herself up from her chair, Dara accompanied him to the front door as he donned his jacket before turning to pull her into an embrace before kissing her soundly as he advised;

"I'm going to be home a little early tonight, so I want you to wait and I'll help you with supper."

Turning to open the door, Lucas found himself almost colliding with Matt Crower, who was delivering almost all of Dara's gifts, excluding the last package that had been delivered. Hurrying to relieve him of a large portion of the packages, Lucas placed them on the foyer table as he greeted;

"You're up early, Harvard. By the way, thank you for your help last night."

Turning to his wife once more, Lucas kissed her before muttering;

"I'll see you later, darlin. I want you to take it easy today; alright?"

Watching as he walked out the front door, she failed to notice the appraising stare that Matt was giving her before she turned to offer;

"I know that you've probably already had your breakfast, but would you like a cup of coffee?"

Silently, Matt nodded as he followed her to the kitchen where he found himself the center of attention as he was tackled by three sets of small arms before being eagerly greeted;

"DR. MATT!"

Patting each head in turn, Matt reached into his pocket and, with a warm smile, pulled out three lollipops in each child's favorite flavors. Once he had passed out the unexpected treats, he suggested;

"How about if you guys go on and watch some cartoons so that Mommy and I can talk for a few minutes."

Shaking his head in amusement at the trio as they marched off in the direction of the living room. Turning seriously, Matt turned to Dara unceremoniously before coming straight to the point of his visit;

"Alright, Dara, when were you going to tell me that you're having problems?"

Her head snapping to attention, Dara stared at Matt in shock as she demanded in a shocked tone;

"Matt, why would you assume that I'm having problems? I mean, sure, I'm feeling my pregnancy, but I'm fine, really."

Placing a bright smile on her face in an effort to convince him of her sincerity, Dara found those hopes fading as Matt shook his head as he advised her;

"Dara, hun, quit wasting the effort. There's something wrong and we both know it so start talking because I'm not leaving here until you do."

Handing him his cup of coffee as she sighed in resignation, Dara lowered herself into her chair before bowing her head as she asked;

"Did you know that Lucas has an illegitimate brother?"

Matt finished spooning sugar into his cup as he confessed;

"He mentioned something about it last night, but nothing more than just telling us he existed."

Taking a sip of her juice, Dara nodded;

"We found out about the same time that we found out I was pregnant. You know that Lucas has certain 'gifts', well this man considers those 'gifts' to be his birthright. However, it's not like Lucas can simply hand those abilities over since, apparently, there can only be one male in every generation of the Buck family who controls that power; that's one of the reasons why, until our children, there has only ever been one child in each generation. And, apparently, the only way for this man to get what he wants is for Lucas to die."

Unable to prevent the look of utter shock that he now wore, Matt sat speechless for a moment; he knew that Buck had inexplicable powers and abilities but he had never fathomed the enormity of just how deep and dark the source of those powers could prove to be until now. Remembering the purpose of his visit, Matt asked softly;

"Is that the reason why you haven't mentioned just how sick you truly are this time?"

Dara couldn't help but find herself shocked by Matt's directness, although, given that he had been her mother's physician as well as having delivered her three youngest children as well as being her doctor for her current pregnancy, she realized that she shouldn't have been surprised. Glancing down the hallway to make certain that none of her children were within earshot, especially Caleb, Dara lowered her voice;

"I don't want to worry Lucas about one more thing unless absolutely necessary, you know how overprotective and worried he is when I'm pregnant anyway. But, you're right, I do seem to have more problems this time than before; my back constantly hurts, which I know I have Landrum and the beating I took from him to thank for that, not to mention falling down the stairs when I was pregnant with Rinie. Aside from the back pain, I sleep but I just don't seem to really get any rest from it, not to mention the fact that I can't seem to get rid of these damned headaches; they're not quite migraines but they're still annoying. Add to that the days that making it until time to go to bed at night is just a struggle because I seem to stay tired all of the time, combined with the dizzy spells that seem to be getting worse every day and you're right, I am having a harder time with this pregnancy."

Reaching across the table she touched Matt's hand as she confessed;

"Matt, last night, after we left and were on our way to the car, the world started spinning and the last thing that I remember was Lucas putting me to bed."

Letting out a heavy sigh of frustration, Matt admitted;

"Hun, I knew that you were having some problems, but I didn't know exactly what. Unfortunately, all I can do right now is to run some tests to see if we can find out why you're having these problems because, in your condition, I can't risk prescribing anything to combat the symptoms. So, young lady, I want you in my office first thing Monday morning before you ask me, I'm not going to say anything to your husband, at least not until we know more and you're life isn't in danger."

Shaking her head as she smiled ruefully, Dara offered;

"You know something? You, Dr. Crower, know me too well; you know that, don't you?"

Patting her hand, Matt rose, preparing to leave as he promised;

"Hey, don't worry, we managed to get you through the first three babies and we'll you through this baby too."

Seeing himself out, Matt left Dara sitting at the table, pondering what they would find come Monday morning.

Sitting in front of Matt's desk, Dara listened in frustration as Matt read over the latest batch of test results that he had received. Shaking his head, he admitted;

"Dara, hun, I don't understand this."

Glancing up to lock eyes with her, he questioned;

"Have these symptoms been present just since your pregnancy, or longer?"

Searching her memory, she offered;

"Actually, no, come to think about it they've been pretty steady since about six months or so before I got pregnant. But, since they weren't on a daily, or even a consistent basis, I just always chalked them up to being tired from running after the kids and working at the center. They have gained in intensity and consistency since my pregnancy though."

Sighing as he shuffled through the stack of test results in her medical file, Matt reluctantly admitted;

"Well, these tests aren't telling me anything and I've run every test humanly possible that I can think of. I've run test for things that I know can't possibly be a possible issue on the off chance it might tell us something. I promise that we're not going to give up, but in the meantime, I want you to try and get some more rest and I'll keep working on my end of things."

Pushing herself up from the chair, Dara nodded; they had been searching for a cause for her debilitation for the past six weeks with no answer in sight. She was now five and a half months into her pregnancy and had still, thus far, been able to conceal how ill she was from her husband and children, although she wasn't certain just how much longer that would be a possibility given her realization of Lucas' heightened suspicion as well as his hawk like observation of her, despite his preoccupation with Garrett Darvin's dangerous appearances into their lives. Despite his active social life, keeping her health issues from Caleb was beginning to prove difficult since he and Trina spent a great deal of time at their home in an effort to help Dara as much as possible with the younger children, who were becoming enthusiastic with Christmas and Rinie's third birthday just a couple of weeks away.

Seeing her agitation, Matt came around his desk to help her on with her coat as he patted her shoulder in a comforting manner before offering;

"Dara, don't worry, I promise you that we'll figure this all out. Why don't you go on home and get some rest, Loris said to just let the kids stay with her until later tonight; alright?"

Offering a silent nod of agreement, Dara turned and hugged Matt as she stated quietly;

"Thank you, Matt."

Turning, she left his office and made her way to her car as she searched through her purse for her keys. Sliding behind the wheel she turned the key and, noticing the time on the clock, decided to finish the rest of her last minute Christmas shopping as she headed for the center of town to accomplish her task. Completing her goal, she decided to drop in to the Sheriff's office to pay her husband a visit, given that it was close to lunch time, she thought it might be nice to surprise him. Digging for her keys as she reached the trunk of her car she had just pulled them from her purse when she found herself fumbling to keep her grip on them just before dropping them and watching in agitation as they skittered just under the rear of the car, causing her agitation as she swore;

"Damn!"

Sitting the bags on the trunk, Dara tried to kneel down as far as her stomach would allow, however, finding that they were just out of reach of her grasp she was about give up when a hand reached under and retrieved the keys for her. Breathing a sigh of relief, she offered a smile of gratitude as she grabbed the bumper to pull herself upright, as well as being aided by the helping hand of the person who had retrieved her keys for her as she began;

"Thank you very much; I had no idea how I was going to reach them in this condition. You don't know how much I truly appreciate thi...YOU!"

Raking his eyes up and down as he studied his sister in law carefully, Garrett Darvin offered her a leering smile. He could certainly see why his brother had married her; he knew she was about five or so years younger than he was but she still looked as if she was in her late teens or early twenties. Even pregnant, she was still an extremely beautiful woman with her long fall of dark auburn hair highlighted with gold, as well as her sea green eyes and fair complexion. Giving a slight shake of his head to bring his thoughts back to the matter at hand, he continued to smile at her as he tightened his grip on her arm before advising her;

"It's my pleasure sister in law dear."

Looking down pointedly at her swollen stomach, he offered sarcastically;

"I wouldn't forgive myself if something were to happen to you or that baby."

Attempting to snatch her arm out of his grasp, Dara narrowed her gaze as she stated in a scathing tone;

"Somehow, I seriously doubt that, especially considering that you have no conscience about anything. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been so thoughtful to send me such a lovely birthday gift, mind you, knowing that my party was at a public restaurant."

Finding her patience at and end with his refusal to take his hands from her person, she glared up at him as she demanded;

"Would you get your damned hands off of me?"

Having maneuvered them where Dara's back was facing the street, Garrett glanced past her to notice the approach of a vehicle and, smiling maliciously, offered;

"Gladly."

Before he tightened his grip on her arm before shoving her, hard, backwards into the path of the approaching car. Falling backwards, Dara found that she wasn't able to grasp at anything to stop herself and found herself in a true panic, certain that she was about to meet her end. However, she felt two strong and familiar hands quickly brace her back before pushing her back upright before turning her to pull her against the solid wall of his chest. Holding her briefly before pushing her away enough to cup her face as he searched her eyes, Lucas demanded in frightened concern;

"ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!"

Unable to speak past the lump of fear that was lodged in her throat, Dara simply nodded as Lucas glanced past her into the smirking face of his half brother, something that sent the last shreds of control over his temper into flames. Dara couldn't even fathom the speed that her husband had moved with as he bent Garrett backwards over the hood of a parked car to wrap his hands tightly around the man's throat before roaring in hatred;

"I TOLD YOU, YOU SON OF A BITCH, WHAT I WOULD DO TO YOU IF YOU EVER TOUCHED MY WIFE!"

Dara's eyes widened in shock at her husband's fury, however, she wasn't so shocked that she didn't note the look of satisfaction that Garrett Darvin seemed to be wearing, despite the disadvantage that he now found himself facing. Suspicion spurring her actions, Dara began frantically pulling at Lucas' wrists, trying to pry his hands away from Garrett's throat as she pleaded;

"Lucas, let him go, Please don't, honey, can't you see that this is what he wants? He's trying to bring you down to his level; please, honey, let him go. Darling, look at me, I'm fine, I promise you. Please, let him go."

Dara found herself taking a step backwards, her eyes widening in fear and shock as Lucas turned his head to look at her, the blood lust and fury evident in his eyes. Feeling her own fear rising at the unfamiliar sight of her husband in such a temper, Dara began trembling before her mind took over at the realization that she was unable to deal with any more stress and she dimly realized that she was losing her battle to remain conscious as her eyes closed and she began to collapse. Lucas, seeing his wife's condition, quickly released Garret to catch Dara before she could fall. Holding her close to his chest, Lucas turned to glare at the younger man who was coughing and gasping trying to catch his breath before he challenged in a dangerous tone;

"You had better pray that she's alright or I'll finish what I started. And if I were you, I would get just as far away from here and from my sight as humanly possible."

Bending over to place his arm under her legs, Lucas swept Dara's slight frame up into his arms as he quickly made his way to his office. Having seen Lucas rushing to the door, Ben hurried to open the portal before demanding in worry;

"Lucas, what happened, is she alright?"

Hurrying towards his office, Lucas kicked the door open before gently laying Dara on the sofa. Turning towards Ben and Floyd he ordered;

"Ben, get me a wet cloth and Floyd, you go out and get her purse and keys and whatever else she had out there."

Turning back to his wife, Lucas began smoothing the stray curls that had managed to escape the clasp that held her hair back, away from her face. Turning at the sound of Ben's entrance, Lucas took the damp cloth he offered before nodding his thanks as he turned and began gently wiping Dara's face as he patted her cheek;

"Dara, baby, open your eyes for me, love. It's alright, wake up now, sweetheart."

Seeing her eyes flickering, he breathed a sigh of relief as they opened and she glanced around, unsure of her surroundings. Then, remembering the events from earlier, her eyes widened in panic until Lucas, understanding the fear he saw, placed his hand on her cheek before he shook his head in an effort to soothe her fears;

"It's alright, darlin, I didn't do it, although Lord knows I probably should have."

Sighing in relief, Dara reached up to place her hand along his cheek as she offered weakly;

"No, you shouldn't have, my love. You didn't see the look that I did on his face; I think that what he wants is for you to be lowered to his level."

Pondering her statement as his eyes fell on his wife's swollen abdomen, Lucas realized the truth of her words as he realized that, if he knew how to transfer his spirit into another person, it was highly possible that Garrett Darvin dis as well. Narrowing his gaze, he couldn't help but suspect that, just maybe, Garrett's goal was to transfer his spirit into their unborn baby. Before Lucas could consider the situation any further, Floyd entered the office, carrying Dara's belongings as he explained;

"Dara, I think that I go everything but your keys were scattered all over the place. I guess that your ring must have broken or something."

Nodding her thanks as Floyd dropped the loose keys into her hands, Dara looked at her husband in dismay;

"I'm never going to be able to figure out if any of them are missing."

Shaking his head, Lucas sought to ease her worry;

"Darlin, don't worry about it, we'll sort them all out later."

Turning to Ben and Floyd, he advised;

"Dara's had enough excitement for one day so I'm going to take her home. I'm off duty."

Gathering the packages together, Floyd offered;

"Lucas, I'll put these in your car and we'll drop Dara's car off later on."

Nodding his thanks, Lucas held his hand out to help his wife up from the sofa, noticing as she pulled herself up that she had to steady herself by leaning against him. Dara found, as she leaned against her husband, that she had to close her eyes in an effort to stop the room from spinning, hoping the dizziness would quickly pass. Studying her face carefully, Lucas realized what her problem was as he placed his hand on her cheek to ask solicitously;

"You're dizzy again, aren't you, honey?"

Dara wasn't able to prevent the look of misery on her face as she nodded slowly. However, when she realized his intentions as he bent down, she protested;

"Lucas, you can't keep carrying me and if you carry me out of here, people are going to talk."

Shaking his head vehemently, Lucas challenged;

"To hell with other people, they're not my concern, you are."

Realizing that she wasn't able to argue at that moment, Dara laid her head against Lucas' shoulder as he lifted her into his arms before closing her eyes. Once they arrived at home, Dara begged;

"I hate asking this, darling, but would you please help me upstairs? I really just want to lay down for a little while."

Lucas, knowing just how trying the day had proven to be for her, he simply nodded as he took her upstairs and helped her into bed before placing a kiss on her forehead and watched as she drifted off to sleep. Making his way downstairs, he made the call that he knew he had delayed for too long; he needed help and he knew that the best person to give it in this case was Mama Lucy.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6 **

Sitting at the kitchen table in her grandson's house, Lucilla Buck listened as Lucas described the man who was now posing such a serious threat to his family. Turning to his grandmother, Lucas demanded;

"Mama, is it possible that this man is really who he claims to be?"

Pinning her grandson with her eyes, Lucilla turned the question around;

"You tell me, boy, what does your gut feeling tell you about this?"

Sighing in resignation, Lucas admitted;

"Probably the same thing that your gut does; that he's Gabriel Buck's illegitimate son."

Narrowing his gaze, Lucas demanded;

"Mama, are you sure that you never heard anything about that woman being pregnant after Gabriel died?"

Shaking her head vehemently, Lucilla recalled;

"No, Lucas, I swear to you that this is the first that I've ever heard of this man. As far as I knew, when your father died, Lila took the trust that he had set up for her and disappeared. I even wondered if her being pregnant might have been a possibility, but when a year passed by and then another and no word from her I just assumed that I had worried for nothing."

Realizing that, given the danger this man presented, what her grandson's biggest concern would be, as well as unable to deny that it was a concern she shared as well, Lucilla demanded;

"What about Dara and the babies, have you thought about packing them up and sending them to her sister, especially since she's pregnant?"

Nodding as he took a sip of his coffee, Lucas explained;

"Yes, but you know how stubborn she is. She refused; she said that for better or worse doesn't apply to just me and that we've gotten through all the other bad times so we'd get through this one too."

Unable to keep the knowing smile from curling the corners of her lips upwards, Lucilla ventured;

"And you don't really want her to go either, do you?"

Chuckling slightly as he offered his grandmother a rueful smile, Lucas asked;

"Does it show that much?"

Shaking her head, Lucilla demanded;

"Boy, when are you going to realize that, where that girl is concerned, you're an open book. A blind man couldn't miss seeing how much you love Dara and how far you're willing to go to protect her."

Running his hand through his hair in frustration, Lucas shook his head as he stated bitterly;

"You're right, Mama, but if I hadn't of just happened along today, there's no telling what could have happened to her. He actually pushed her backwards into the street, in her condition, with a car coming."

Understanding her grandson's exasperation, Lucilla reached across the table to pat his hand comfortingly as she offered;

"Lucas, you of all people know that there isn't any sense in you dwelling on the could haves. The fact is that you were there and that she's fine."

Shaking her head, she observed;

"It definitely sounds as if this man is cut from Gabriel's mold; I'm sure that I don't have to remind you of just how vicious a man he truly was. Given how determined you say this man is, you should also know that means that he's going to strike you where it hurts the most, which means going after Dara and the kids."

Placing his hands around his coffee mug, Lucas stared down into the liquid as he speculated;

"Mama, it's not just about that anymore; I think she's keeping something from me, but I can't quite put my finger on it."

Deeply concerned, Lucilla softly inquired;

"You think that she's hiding something from you?"

Nodding, Lucas admitted;

"Yes, at least as far as her health is concerned I do. To tell you the truth I don't think that she's too sure what the problem is herself, that's why she hasn't said anything about it. Well, that and she's afraid of worrying me."

Offering him a loving smile, Lucilla ventured;

"Then I guess that it's a good thing that I decided to come and stay with you for a while so that I can help you two out, at least until the baby comes; isn't it?"

Placing his hand over his grandmother's Lucas offered his appreciation;

"Thank you, Mama, I'm truly glad that you have, although, I wasn't sure how to ask you if you would."

Shaking her head, Lucilla corrected;

"No, you weren't sure if I was too old to help take care of this house and these babies, but I think that we both know better. Don't we?"

Lucas began to smile in amusement of his grandmother's statement, but as he glanced up and noticed his wife entering the kitchen, the smile froze and changed to a frown of concern as he noticed just how exhausted she appeared. Noting the fact that she was dressed in her night clothes, he glanced at the clock and, noticing that it was still fairly early, found his concern increasing; she never put her gown on unless she was getting ready for bed. Rising from his chair, Lucas helped her lower herself into a chair before getting her a glass of juice. Lucilla cast a worried glance at her grandson as Dara offered her a weak smile before reaching over to hug the old woman as she greeted;

"I didn't know that you were coming for a visit, Mama Lucy. Why didn't you call?"

Noting how weak her granddaughter in law's hug had been as well as the girl's appearance, Lucilla truly understood Lucas' worry for his wife. In the, almost, five years since he had married Dara, Lucilla had come to think of Dara as her own granddaughter rather than simply her grandson's wife. Her affection for the girl had only increased after Dara's discovery of the dark secrets hidden in the Buck family; rather than running away, she had simply doubled her efforts to raise her extraordinary family as well as gaining in the strength of the love that she possessed for, both, her husband and children. Noting the dark circles under the girl's eyes, which were even more prominent due to her fair complexion, as well as the way that she seemed to have to brace herself against the table so that she could sit upright, as though it had taken all of her energy to get from the bed to the table, Lucilla, never one to mince words, demanded bluntly;

"Child, are you feeling alright? You look absolutely exhausted."

Shaking her head, Dara offered;

"I'm fine, Mama, I'm just really tired, that's all."

Turning to her husband, in an effort to allay Lucilla's suspicions, Dara ventured;

"The kids should be back anytime now, what would you like for supper?"

Casting a look of trepidation in his grandmother's direction, Lucas explained;

"Well, Loris called earlier and said that since the kids were having such a good time that she and Matt thought they might enjoy spending the night, so I agreed. Caleb and Trina offered to go pick up some food so we ordered out."

Lucas found himself shocked when she nodded before venturing;

"The kid's love playing over at Loris', so I'm sure that they'll enjoy spending the night with she and Matt."

Turning to his grandmother, the shock evident on her face as well, they both exchanged knowing looks as they both had the same thoughts running through their heads. There was no doubt as to how much Dara loved her children and whenever it had been suggested in the past that they spend an extended period of time away from her, she shot the idea down without so much as an explanation. Considering that this would be the first time the trio had stayed overnight anywhere without their mother and the fact that she was agreeing to it without argument was a definite sign that there was a problem. Lucas found his thoughts interrupted as Dara questioned;

"Did you say that Caleb and Trina would be here?"

Nodding, Lucas clarified;

"Yes, they went to rent some movies and pick up our to go order; we got Chinese, I hope that's okay."

Offering a thin smile of agreement, Dara assured him;

"That's fine, honey. I guess that I should go and get dressed, I didn't realize that they would be here."

Watching her struggle to rise, Lucas felt a tightness in his chest as he watched his wife trying to battle against the weakness that seemed to be beating her down these days. Reaching over to cover her hand with his own in an effort to save her pride, he suggested;

"Sweetheart, it's obvious that you don't feel well; besides, Caleb has seen you in your gown before and Trina understands that you don't feel well so don't worry about your clothes; alright?"

Nodding weakly, Dara found herself fighting to hold back her tears at her husband's efforts to act as though everything was fine and that nothing was out of the ordinary as Caleb and Trina burst through the back door, laughing at some earlier joke, both loaded down with bags full of Chinese food and videos. Seeing his mother at the table, Caleb placed the bags on the counter before hugging her tightly as he asked;

"Mama, are you feeling any better?"

Dara lifted her hand to pat the arm that her son had wrapped around her shoulders as she offered;

"I'm fine, baby."

Offering a smile of genuine affection to the girl, she greeted;

"Hello, Trina, how are you, sweetie?"

Pulling plates and glasses from the cabinets to set on the counter top, Trina replied;

"I'm fine, Dara, how about you? Are you feeling any better?"

Having become as familiar with the house as Dara herself was, Trina had come to be considered another child to Dara and Lucas. Realizing the difficulty that the woman she had come to view as a second mother was having in simply rising from her chair, Trina sought to ease the situation and Dara's possible embarrassment as she offered;

"Dara, why don't you let me and Caleb do this, you just rest. Why don't we all eat in front of the TV while we watch the movies, we got some really good ones."

Casting a glance of gratitude at the girl for her suggestion, Lucas rose from his chair as he agreed;

"Trina, I think that sounds like a really good idea, we'll let you guys deal with the food and well go get the TV set up.

Offering his hand to Dara in the guise of an act of gallantry, Lucas suggested;

"Darlin, why don't we leave these guys alone to deal with this."

Helping her up from the chair, he placed his arm around her for support as he half guided, half carried her from the kitchen. Watching as Lucas and Dara left the room and making certain they were out of earshot, Trina turned to Caleb as she observed;

"I hate to say this, Caleb, but your mom is getting worse; she couldn't even get up from the table without your dad's help. When is he going to make her go to the doctor and see what's going on?"

Throwing an agitated glance in Trina's directions, Caleb denied;

"Look, you weren't around the last two times that Mama was pregnant and, more than likely, it's probably something to do with that."

Rolling her eyes at his stubbornness, Trina shook her head as she argued;

"Caleb, I saw my mom and my aunts when they were all pregnant and I'm telling you, what's going on with your mom is more than just a complication from pregnancy. Last week when we went shopping she wasn't able to walk more than a few feet before she had to stop and rest; she's trying to hide it but your mom is really sick."

Having stayed in the kitchen to help the two teens, Lucilla listened to the exchange as she processed the information for herself. She had met Trina earlier and found that she couldn't help but take an immediate liking to the girl, reminding her of when Lucas had first introduced her to Dara. Realizing just how much the girl cared for Caleb as well as his family, she couldn't help but feel grateful that the boy seemed to be showing the same good sense in his choice of women that his father did, although she was infinitely grateful that he was displaying the trait at a much earlier age than his father. Seeing that her great grandson was about to argue, Lucilla stepped closer to him to place her hand on his arm to stall his argument as she looked into his eyes to offer;

"Caleb, Trina is right, your mama is sick, she's just been trying to hide it to keep all of you from worrying, especially your father."

Looking at his great grandmother in thinly veiled aggravation, the look quickly changed to sadness as he sighed in resignation. He had known that his mother was having a problem but he hadn't wanted to acknowledge the fact in the hopes that he was wrong, however, the fact that she always seemed so exhausted in the evening as well as her inability to finish simple tasks without exhausting herself combined with the pain relievers that he had noticed her taking for the constant pain in her back and the persistent headaches that she never seemed to find any relief from and Caleb knew that he could no longer ignore the evidence of his mother's health issues. Nodding as he patted his great grandmother's hand, Caleb acknowledged;

"I know that you're right, Mama Lucy, but Mama has never betrayed any of our trusts and we're not going to betray hers. So until Mama says something, we're not going to, especially if she's trying to keep Dad from worrying. We're just going to have to make sure that we're here whenever she needs us."

Grabbing the tray from the counter top and making his way into the living room, he left Trina and Lucilla to look at each other in silent agreement of their complicity with Caleb's decision as they also grabbed a tray to follow Caleb's example.

Despite her exhaustion, Dara enjoyed the evening spent with her family. Truth be told she had wanted nothing more than to venture upstairs earlier and go to bed, however, she knew that making it up from the sofa was an impossibility, let alone making it up the staircase to her bedroom. Deciding to take another tact, she simply remained downstairs under the pretense of watching an old movie in the hopes that everyone would retire and she could simply sleep on the sofa. After Mama Lucy had bid everyone a goodnight and Caleb left to take Trina home, that left Dara to wait out her husband; he had informed her earlier that Mama Lucy would be staying to, once again, help out until the new baby arrived. Although she loved the woman, Dara knew that Mama Lucy's presence was going to pose a severe hitch in hiding her medical problems from her husband, however, she also knew that she couldn't give him a reasonable argument for not wanting Mama Lucy to stay so she simply nodded her agreement.

Lucas sat in his chair, reading, glancing covertly every once in a while at his wife, wondering just how long it would take before she gave up on the game of waiting that they now seemed to be engaged in. Finding himself at the end of his patience with her stubbornness and knowing that, if he was tired, she must be exhausted, he made the decision to end the waiting game for her. Marking his place in his book before setting it on the end table, Lucas leaned forward and crossed his arms to brace them across his knees as he stared at her knowingly. Catching his actions from the corner of her eye, Dara turned and, noticing the intensity of his look, waited for him to say something and, when he remained silent, she finally asked in annoyance;

"What?"

Shaking his head, Lucas demanded;

"Darlin, would you care to tell me just how stubborn you can possibly be and just how much longer you intend to go on with this charade?"

The apprehension apparent in her face, Dara asked in an unsteady voice;

"Honey, what on earth are you talking about?"

Narrowing his gaze, Lucas spoke in a soft, yet serious tone;

"Darlin, you know exactly what I'm talking about; you're exhausted but you won't admit it. You've been waiting for me to go upstairs so that you can sleep down here because you can't make it up that staircase and I'm guessing that you can't even make it up from that sofa by yourself."

Although he had definitely been on target, Dara, being stubborn, glared at him as she challenged;

"Oh really, love? I beg to differ; we'll just see who can't make it up those stairs."

Pushing herself up form the sofa, she stalked to the staircase and began climbing the steps, however, she knew that she had made a serious mistake, but, she also knew that she had to make it the rest of the way up the stairs to allay her husband's suspicions. Exerting the last bit of energy that she possessed, Dara made it to the top and into her bedroom before collapsing on the bed in exhaustion as she tried to catch her breath. Hearing Lucas' footsteps on the staircase, she quickly sat up to remove her robe and hurriedly climbed into bed as her husband entered their room.

Standing in the doorway, Lucas studied his wife for a moment; he knew as he watched her struggling to climb the stairs that she was spending the last bit of energy that she probably had, but, he also knew that she needed to realize and admit that there was a problem. Lucas knew that he couldn't bring himself to strip her of her pride any further than what she had already been forced to face. Deciding to leave the issue for the moment, Lucas undressed before climbing into bed next to Dara to take her in his arms. Kissing her cheek, he whispered;

"I'm sorry for baiting you like that, darlin, I just thought that you had over exerted yourself today given everything that you had been through."

Dara couldn't help but feel as if a knife had been twisted in her stomach at his words, he was right and yet he was apologizing to her when she had, more or less, lied to him. Despite her feelings of guilt she knew, as her husband pushed her hair away from her neck, what was coming next, especially as she felt the neckline of her gown being pushed down her shoulder as he moved his mouth along the back of her neck and the side of her throat, down to her shoulder. Although she wanted more than anything to make love to him, Dara knew that she was simply too physically exhausted. Turning in his embrace to face him, Dara placed her hand along his cheek before pleading softly;

"Lucas, darling, please, don't. It's not that I don't want to make love with you, but I really don't feel very well and I'm very tired. You were right, I did over exert myself today."

Studying her in concern, Lucas noted the pleading look in her eyes as he took her hand and placed a kiss on her palm before offering;

"Darlin, it's alright, I promise I understand and, hopefully, you'll feel better in the morning. So why don't we get some sleep."

Pulling her closer he held her as they settled down and drifted off to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

Much to the relief of the three youngest Buck children and their parents, Christmas finally came. Lucas was especially relieved due to the precious time and energy that he knew Dara had exerted in making certain that the holiday was as special as possible for their children, however, he made certain to assist her as much as possible in her efforts to help her conserve as much of her energy as possible, especially given that Rinie's birthday was the day after Christmas. Given how pleased Dara was by the fact that she had managed to accomplish all of the goals that she had set to ensure that everyone's Christmas was memorable, Lucas was infinitely grateful to Caleb, Trina and Mama Lucy for the help they had given in seeing the goals accomplished.

As Christmas morning arrived, it was to the usual tradition of finding the three youngest Buck children bursting through their parents' bedroom door to land at the end of Lucas and Dara's bed as they yelled excitedly;

"Wake up, Mommy and Daddy, it's Christmas and we want to see what Santa Claus brought us."

Finding themselves suddenly jarred awake, both, Lucas and Dara sat up abruptly as they tried to orient themselves while the children grabbed their parents' robes to lay on the bed as Caleb stood, leaning against the door frame, finding amusement at his siblings' excitement. Noticing his eldest in the doorway, Lucas motioned to the three youngsters as he pleaded;

"Son, would you mind taking these three heathens downstairs? We'll be there in a second."

Nodding, Caleb ordered;

"Alright, you three, give Mama and Dad a chance to wake up and we'll open presents in just a second. Let's go wake up Mama Lucy and head downstairs."

Ushering the three out of the room, Caleb pulled his parents' door closed to give them privacy. Lucas had learned by how she started out in the morning, whether or not his wife would have a good day or a bad day, however, he also knew that since today was a holiday and would entail a lot of activity, as well as Rinie's birthday party the following day, she would be exerting a lot of effort and energy. Making his decision as she slipped her robe on over her gown while he pulled on a pair of jeans, he simply took the direct approach by walking over to bend down before sweeping her up in his arms. Having come to terms with the fact that her husband was aware of her health issues, as well as the fact that he made every effort possible to help her conserve her energy, Dara had learned over the past couple of weeks to simply accept his actions with gratitude and without embarrassment. Unable to prevent the look of amusement she now wore, she pointed out;

"You're not exactly dressed yet, you know."

Offering her a rueful smile, Lucas shook his head;

"Darlin, the kids have seen me without a shirt before and you've definitely seen me in a lot less, so stop worrying about it."

Before she could offer any further argument, Lucas made his way downstairs to settle her on the sofa before calling the kids and Mama Lucy to join them so they could begin opening Christmas gifts. Although their parents were relieved, it wasn't exactly a surprise that the three youngest children were ecstatic with the training bikes that each had received, as well as dolls, clothes and play jewelry for the girls and video games and action figures for Alex. Having learned the truth behind the myth of Santa Clause a couple of years prior, Caleb, none the less, went along good naturedly with the pretense that Santa was responsible for the new stereo and TV that he had received as well as the various CD's and clothes that he had made vague requests for.

Lucas found himself pleasantly surprised as he opened his gift from his children, Trina and Mama Lucy; pulling the paper from the large rectangle package he sat speechless as Dara demanded;

"Sweetheart, what is it?"

Pushing herself up from the sofa, she came around the straight back chair that Caleb had set the painting on to look at the gift that had rendered her husband speechless, something that she knew was no easy task, Dara understood why her husband was so overcome with emotion. She couldn't help but brush a tear from her eyes as Caleb stepped up to put his hands on his mother's shoulders as he explained;

"When we all thought about the perfect gift for Dad for Christmas, we realized that the perfect gift was what he already had; you. So, we thought the next best thing would be a painting from your wedding; we've heard Dad say a thousand times that this is his favorite picture of you."

Patting her son's hand before she placed her arm around her husband's waste, Dara looked up to smile into her husband's face as she ventured;

"You know something, love, I think that we are very blessed to have such a wonderful and amazing family and I know that I'm very blessed to have a husband who loves me so much that he feels as overwhelmed as you do right now at receiving this gift."

Holding her closer, Lucas found his attention drawn to their youngest daughter as she tugged at his pant leg to gain his focus. Glancing down as he placed his hand on the child's head he asked;

"What is it, baby girl?"

Looking at her parent's solemnly, Rinie asked in worry;

"Daddy, do you like the picture of Mommy? Caleb and Mama Lucy said they thought you would."

Lowering himself to sit on his heels to bring him eye level with his daughter, Lucas offered the girl a smile of love has he hugged her close before releasing her to offer;

"I promise, baby girl, I LOVE the picture."

Motioning for the twins to come closer, Lucas pulled them into an embrace before he rose to hug his eldest son as well as his grandmother before stating;

"Thank you all, I really do love your gift and I know exactly where it needs to hang."

Placing the painting in a safe place for the time being, Lucas motioned to the remaining gifts as Caleb handed Mama Lucy her gifts. She was more than thrilled to receive new knitting supplies as well as a new shawl made from antique lace and a necklace that held a charm representing the birthdays of Lucas, Dara and their children. As usual, Dara found herself spoiled by her husband and children; receiving a crystal sculpture from her younger children, as well as videos of her favorite movies from Caleb and Trina. From Mama Lucy, she received a quilt that detailed the dates of her marriage and the births of her children, with room left for the addition of the new baby. She found herself overwhelmed by her husband who had given her a new curio cabinet to hold her crystal figurines as well as an antique silver tray that she had voiced a vague request for.

Dara had thought that they were done with exchanging gifts when she found herself shocked as Lucas reached under the seat cushion of the sofa to pull out a velvet box. Opening the lid, she couldn't help but gasp in amazement at the emerald and diamond pendant that was lying on the velvet pad, especially given that the pendant had been custom designed to match the emerald ring that Lucas had given her their first Christmas together. Shaking her head she lightly admonished;

"The cabinet was more than enough, you know you're spoiling me; right? Especially considering that this had to have been designed and made since if matches Mama's ring."

Lucas motioned for her to turn around as he brushed her hair aside before fastening the necklace in place as he kissed the side of her neck before advising;

"When I married you, I promised you that I was planning on spoiling you and I meant it. So just say thank you like a good little wife and let me enjoy keeping my promise."

Touching the piece reverently, Dara smiled shyly at her husband as she offered;

"Thank you, I love it."

Kissing him soundly, she pushed herself up, with his assistance, before making her way to the kitchen to work on their holiday meal, followed by Mama Lucy to offer whatever assistance she may need. Lucas glanced to Caleb in a hopeful manner as his eldest son held up his hands in a manner of surrender as he admitted;

"I know, I know; 'Caleb would you and the kids please take care of the wrapping paper?'"

Shaking his head before chuckling, Lucas questioned;

"You know me way too well, you know that don't you son?"

Nodding, Caleb motioned to the staircase as he advised;

"I know, Dad, why don't you go on and finish getting dressed and I'll get this all taken care of."

Glancing at his siblings, who were all eagerly gathering the refuse from their earlier frenzy of unwrapping their Christmas presents, Caleb ventured;

"Besides with the help of this motley crew we'll have this all picked up in no time."

Laughing, Lucas made his way to his bedroom to shower before dressing for the day; half an hour later found him descending the stairs, dressed, as usual, immaculately in the new clothes that his wife had given him for Christmas, to join his wife and grandmother in the kitchen. Due to Rinie's birthday the next day, they had planned on eating their holiday meal early to be better able to prepare for Rinie's party the following day. Dara found herself infinitely grateful that she had Mama Lucy's help as well as the fact that they had begun the preparations for their Christmas dinner the day before which meant that the meal was almost ready when Dara hurried to her bedroom to shower and dress for the day.

Arriving early, Trina, finding Mama Lucy by herself in the kitchen, took charge of setting the dining room table. Caleb couldn't help but chuckle as he helped her lay the plates on the table as he noticed her careful handling of the dishes, glassware and cutlery. Noticing his amusement, Trina demanded;

"Just what are you finding so funny, Caleb Buck?"

Shaking his head, Caleb admitted;

"Trina, sweetie, you're handling those dishes and glasses as if you're afraid they'll explode on contact until they make contact with the table."

Her face taking on a look of frustration, the girl huffed;

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you, yourself, tell me that your Grandmother Gwenna bought this china for your mother and that the glasses were ones that were passed down from her grandmother?"

Nodding, Caleb confirmed;

"Yeah, Mama said that she noticed the china at an estate sale and Grandma Gwenna went back later and bought it, she surprised Mama with it for Christmas that year. The glasses belonged to Mama's grandmother, the silverware was something that Dad bought Mama to go with the china when he saw how much store she sets by it."

Holding her hands open in a pleading gesture, Trina plead her case;

"See? I don't want to accidentally break her dishes, especially these. I mean, I think a lot of Dara and I know that would hurt her and I don't want to do that, even accidentally."

Finishing with the table, Caleb took the girl's hand as he ventured;

"You know something, Trina Langley? I'm so glad that I had the nerve to ask you out."

Offering him a smile of affection, Trina placed her arms around Caleb's waist as she confessed;

"You know what? I'm glad that you asked me out too."

Both were suddenly shocked as they heard a delicate;

"MMM HMM."

from the doorway. Turning they found Dara leaning against the door frame a warm smile of affection for the two teens curling the corners of her mouth. Glancing past them to the table she offered;

"Oh my word, Trina, Caleb, you two did a wonderful job on the table; it's absolutely beautiful."

Noting his mother's appearance, Caleb couldn't help but whistle low;

"Yeah, it's almost as pretty as you are, Mama. You look pretty, well you always do, but especially today."

Approaching the couple, Dara hugged them both as she patted her son's cheek;

"Thank you, sweetie. Trina, thank you for helping out."

Shaking her head, Trina offered;

"No problem, Dara. Besides I love doing it."

Before Dara could reply, she heard her husband calling her from the hallway;

"DARA!"

She was about to reply when he spotted her in the dining room and stopped short in the doorway to offer;

"WOW! I know you said that you splurged on a new dress for Christmas but, darlin, I have news for you; whatever you spent on that dress was well worth it. You look absolutely beautiful."

Lucas couldn't help but stare; she had swept her hair up in a twist which complimented the neckline of the emerald green velvet of the dress she had chosen, the effect was completed thanks to the emerald necklace she had received from her husband. Dara offered a timid smile as she placed her hand on her swollen abdomen to query;

"Even though I look like I have a beach ball up my dress?"

Crossing the space, Lucas placed his arms around her as he shook his head;

"You don't look like you have a beach ball up your dress, love. You look like a very beautiful woman who happens to be pregnant with MY baby, which, I might add, adds a glow to that beauty."

Turning to their son and Trina, Lucas ventured;

"Don't you two have to help Mama Lucy in the kitchen?"

Laughing at his father's subtlety, Caleb shook his head; 

"Apparently, we do now."

Watching as they left the room, Lucas turned back to suggest;

"By the way, I loved my Christmas gifts, but I happen to have an extra one for you."

With that he held her close as he kissed her soundly before they heard their younger children approaching the doorway. Breaking the contact, Lucas shook his head before suggesting;

"I guess that this is a discussion that we'll need to continue at a later time, say tonight, in our room."

Giggling, Dara nodded as she placed her hand against her husband's chest to offer;

"I think that sounds like a perfectly wonderful idea. But, for now, why don't we go help get the food on the table and call everyone in to eat."

Nodding, Lucas motioned for her to precede him to the kitchen to finish the last of the food preparations so they could begin their meal.

Dara couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the love of her family and Trina as they settled at the dining room table to begin their meal. Although it wasn't something that Lucas was over familiar with, given his family's dark ties, he nevertheless respected Dara's views on the matter and one aspect of her faith that she insisted upon was to ask a blessing over the meals at the holidays. Knowing that her husband wasn't familiar with the ritual, she asked the blessing herself and once that was finished Lucas began carving the turkey. He had just began carving when the doorbell rang, motioning for him to continue, Dara rose from her chair to answer the door.

Since she had expected to see either Selena Coombs and her daughter, who was visiting her mother, or Ben, who had begun the tradition of stopping by on Christmas day since the first Christmas that Dara had invited him to spend the holiday with them, she had no qualms about opening the door herself. She had left the foyer door open as she turned the know on the outer portal to pull it open and, seeing no one there, she stepped outside the door onto the porch to glance around, when she found no one she simply shrugged before turning to head back inside. Closing the outer door as well as the foyer door she turned to make her way back into the dining room when she noticed what, had to be at least an, eight foot python wrapping itself around the stairwell railing. Her eyes widening in frightened panic, Dara realized the the snake had spotted her and assumed she was some type of prey as it began unwinding itself from the wooden railing to slither in her direction. Too frightened of the creature to think rationally, she simply backed as far into the corner of the doorway as possible before she began screaming for her husband. Lucas had just finished carving the turkey when he heard his wife screaming his name at the top of her lungs;

"LUUUUCCAAASSS!"

Shoving his chair back roughly he turned to his younger children, Trina and Mama Lucy as he ordered sternly;

"You all stay in here; I MEAN IT!"

Certain they would obey his dictate, Lucas ran to the front hall, followed closely by Caleb. At first, Lucas couldn't understand why his wife was backed into the corner by the front door or why she wore such an intense look of fright, however, when he noticed the slithering form of the huge snake making its way closer to his wife, he cursed;

"WHAT THE HELL! How did that thing get in here?"

Realizing that his mother had backed as far away as possible and was now left with no other means of escape, as well as the fact that the snake was now less than a foot away from her, Caleb shook his head as he stated;

"Who cares how it got in here, let's just get it out of here."

Lucas was racking his brain on how to deal with the reptile when he glanced down and realized that he had ran from the dining room, still clutching the carving knife. Eyeing the distance and holding the knife by the blade, he threw it and hit the target that he had been aiming for; just below the head of the snake. He had effectively pinned the serpent to the floor, preventing it from moving any closer to his wife, however, the fact that the animal was no longer a threat couldn't prevent Dara's reaction.

Horrified, Dara stared at the knife that was sticking out of the reptiles body with the blood oozing from the wound, as well as how the creature was squirming in the final throes of death. Realizing how close the animal truly was to her and unable to cope with the horror in front of her, she felt her knees beginning to buckle as she realized that she was being engulfed in darkness. Seeing that she was on the verge of collapsing, Lucas rushed forward as her eyes closed and managed to catch her before she could hit the floor. Sweeping her up in his arms, he carried her to the living room and placed her on the sofa before turning to Caleb to order;

"Get her a small glass of brandy and then find a sheet to cover that damned thing with. We'll get it out of here in a second."

Hurrying to comply with his father's directives, Caleb returned with the brandy and thrust the glass into his father's hand before addressing the issue of the snake. Placing his arm under her neck to lift her slightly, Lucas began gently patting Dara's cheek as he pleaded;

"Darlin, come on, it's alright, the snakes gone, it can't hurt you. Come on, baby, open your eyes for me."

Slowly, Dara's eyes began to flutter as she opened them to look into her husband's eyes, the weariness evident in them, especially when she simply sat up to lay her head against his chest before she began quietly sobbing, her frustration with the situation evident. Laying his cheek against the top of her head, Lucas held her tightly to him as Caleb entered the room to ask quietly;

"Is Mama going to be okay?"

Lucas could only nod silently as Caleb realized how frustrated his father truly was with the situation. Motioning to the hallway, Caleb offered;

"Dad, I can take care of that thing, I just hope Mama isn't too fond of the sheet I used. The kids don't need to see it and you need to stay here with Mama."

Lucas could only nod his agreement, grateful for the man his son was becoming, thanks largely to his wife's influence. Waiting until she had quieted somewhat, he brought the glass to her lips as he suggested;

"I want you to take a sip of this, it will help, but just a small sip. I know that you shouldn't be drinking in your condition but you need something to help calm you down."

Doing as her husband suggested, Dara found herself coughing as the unfamiliar liquid burned a path down her throat. Pushing the glass away, she pinned her husband with her eyes, which were full of dismay as she begged;

"When is he going to stop? He'll go after the children next, you and I both know that."

Lucas shook his head vehemently;

"No, he wont. Dara, darlin, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to stop him, there just isn't any other way to do it, honey. I'm sorry, but I think you know that's coming down to him or us and I'll be damned if I'm going to let him get my family."

Sighing in resignation, Dara agreed with her husband's observation as she offered;

"I know that you're right. Do whatever you feel you have to do, I'll understand."

Holding her close to his chest, Lucas asked quietly;

"Do you have any idea just how much I love you?"

Tilting her face up to look into his eyes, she nodded sadly as replied;

"Enough to kill for me."

The realization of just what her words truly meant, she laid her head against Lucas' chest as she began crying at the truth of her statement. Holding her close as he stroked her hair to comfort her until her tears subsided, Lucas waited until he was certain that she was, once more, in control of her emotions before asking tenderly;

"I know that you really don't want to, but for the kids' sake, are you ready to go back in and eat Christmas dinner?"

Wiping the tears from her face, Dara nodded as she took the hand he offered to help her up from the sofa before leading her back to the dining room. Although she found it difficult, Dara tried to act as if everything were normal, especially when her three younger children all turned to her, their faces mirroring their concern as Rinie asked;

"Are you okay, Mommy; what happened?"

Although she hated doing so, Dara placed a convincing smile on her face as she lied to her children;

"I'm fine, babies, I just saw a mouse and it scared me, that's all. Now, why don't we eat our dinner."

Dara had to take a sip from her glass, finding the lie hard to swallow, especially given that she and Lucas had made a practice of being honest with their children. However, she also knew that Alex, Riesa and Rinie, despite their intelligence, were much too young to understand what their parents were dealing with. Lucas could see his wife's agitation over the necessity of fibbing to their younger children, but he also knew that there was no way around the issue other than the route that she had taken. Noticing the questioning look that, both, his grandmother and Trina were casting in his direction, he addressed it by giving a slight shake of his head before motioning to the younger children as he silently explained that this was not a fit topic for them. Turning at Caleb entered the room to reclaim his seat, he asked his son cautiously;

"Where did you dispose of the uh, mouse, at?"

Glancing to his siblings, Caleb understood his father's meaning, especially knowing their penchant for curiosity. Carefully, he explained;

"I disposed of it in the incinerator, since we burned the paper and boxes in there earlier and the fire was still going, I thought that it would be better that way."

Nodding as he sighed in relief, Lucas began attacking the pile of food on his plate before casting a glance at the opposite end of the dining room table, watching his wife as she tried her best to eat her own dinner, something she wasn't having much success with. He knew that she was worried over the prospect of Rinie's birthday party and what Garrett Darvin might try, especially after his latest attack on their home. Deciding to approach the problem directly, he turned to his youngest child;

"Rinie?"

Turning to look up at her father, she smiled brightly before answering;

"Yes, Daddy?"

Lucas couldn't help but return her smile with one of his own, especially as he marveled at her enthusiasm. Glancing cautiously at Dara, he asked;

"Baby Girl, what's your most favorite place in the world?"

Giving serious consideration to her father's question, she placed her small fist under her chin as she concentrated before her eyes widened as she answered brightly;

"Chuck E. Cheese's, Daddy, they have games and rides and the animals sing and dance and we get to eat pizza."

Understanding her reasons for her choice, Lucas nodded;

"I wonder, do you happen to know a little girl whose birthday is tomorrow that might like to have her party there, would you?"

Gasping in surprised delight as her smile brightened considerably as she jumped from her chair to run and climb up in her father's lap as she begged;

"Do you mean it, Daddy? I can really have my party there?"

Glancing to his wife and seeing the tender smile as she nodded, Lucas felt infinitely relieved as he hugged his daughter close to him, unable to contain his laughter at her excitement as he nodded;

"Yes, baby, I really mean it, you can have your party there."

Throwing her arms around her father's neck she placed a sound kiss on his cheek before turning in uncertainty to her great grandmother. Although she liked the old woman immensely, not having spent as much time around her as her siblings, she wasn't quite sure what to make of the woman yet. Timidly she asked;

"Mama Lucy, are you going to come too?"

Seeing the look of hopefulness on the young child's face, Lucilla nodded as she offered her a smile;

"Of course I am, child. I wouldn't want to miss seeing a possum sing and dance."

Reaching across the space, Rinie hugged her great grandmother before climbing off her father's lap to take her seat once more. As Rinie was settling herself to resume eating her dinner, Dara, noticing the pouting looks on Alex and Riesa's face, asked;

"Alright, you two, what's the matter?"

Offering his mother a pitiful look of worry, Alex questioned;

"Are going to get to go too since our birthdays are next month?"

Lucas couldn't help but chuckle of his son's concern as he answered;

"Yes, you two get to go and next month you can have your party wherever you want to; alright?"

Both children brightened as Riesa turned to her mother, a look of seriousness crossing her face as she ventured;

"Mommy, don't you and Daddy have an anniversary next month too?"

Nodding, Dara explained;

"That's right, sweetie, as a matter of fact it's the same day as your birthdays."

Looking at her mother in astonishment, Riesa's eyes widened in astonishment as she demanded;

"But how could we be born on the same day that you and Daddy were married, weren't you too busy to do both?"

Everyone began laughing at the little girl's logic as Dara carefully explained;

"Angel, you and Alex weren't born on the same day that Daddy and I got married, you were born on the first anniversary of the day that we were married. You came along a year later and I, personally, have always looked at it as the two of you being the best anniversary present and Rinie being the best Christmas present that I've ever received."

The trio couldn't help but feel pleased by their mother's statement as Rinie asked:

"When did you get Caleb, Mommy?"

The curiosity evident in his eyes, Caleb snapped to attention as he waited for his mother's answer. Offering the boy a warm smile of love, Dara offered;

"Caleb was the best Summer gift that I ever received."

Not wanting to feel left out, Alex questioned;

"Mommy, what's Daddy?"

Offering her husband a look of tenderness, she answered without embarrassment;

"Your Daddy is the best thing that ever happened in my life, because without him, I wouldn't have my wonderful children. Now, eat your dinner."

As the day wore on with the children playing as well as friends dropping in to visit, everyone soon found themselves tired, including the children. Despite the earlier incident involving the snake, Dara's spirits had lifted considerably after she heard from her sisters and their families as well Selena and her daughter, Diane's visit, as well as Ben's. When she had learned that Selena had a daughter, Dara found herself astonished as well as a bit concerned about Diane's father. Understanding her friend's concern, Selena quickly put Dara's fears to rest after she had first introduced the little girl;

"Don't worry, Dara, she doesn't belong to him, Billy Peele is her father."

Seeing the truth of Selena's admission as she studied the child and finding no traces of Lucas in the girl's face, Dara nodded as she asked;

"Selena, why doesn't she live with you? I know that you love her and that you're a good mother."

Shaking her head, Selena lowered her voice;

"She deserves better than me, Dara. My aunt and uncle are good to her and I get to see her all the time, but this way, no one tells her that her mother is the town tramp."

Realizing how affected her friend was by the admission, Dara dropped the subject and simply respected Selena's decision as she lowered herself into a chair to ease her back. Once all of their company had come and gone, the children had been put to bed as well as Mama Lucy retiring for the evening, Dara and Lucas were enjoying their solitude in the living room, Caleb having joined Trina's family for their evening meal and the chance to meet the rest of her family. As Lucas considered their son's relationship with the girl, he couldn't help but speculate aloud;

"Darlin, are you beginning to think, like I do, that she just might be our future daughter in law?"

He found himself shocked by his wife's groan before demanding;

"What? I thought that you liked Trina."

Sighing, Dara admitted;

"I do, but after they get married the next logical step would be for them to have children and I'm really not ready to think about becoming a grandmother right now."

Lucas couldn't help but laugh out loud at her concern as he theorized;

"Well, let's think about it; she just turned fifteen, that means that if they get married when she's eighteen, which is three more years away, you'll be thirty-four. Now, considering our own tenacity when it comes to making love that means that you'll probably be pregnant again. So, theoretically, you still have at least sixteen more years of possible childbearing ahead of you after they do get married."

Her eyes widening in astonishment at how thoroughly he had considered the matter, Dara observed;

"Given how detailed your theory is, I assume that you've been giving the matter some thought for quite some time. Do you intend to keep me pregnant until I reach menopause?"

Unable to prevent the leering smile that crept to his lips, Lucas admitted;

"Sweetheart, I have to admit, I sure as hell wouldn't mind trying."

Tilting her head to the side, coyly, she smiled invitingly, feeling well enough to indulge her husband's more amorous side, as she suggested;

"Would you care to indulge in a little practice?"

Sliding closer to her on the sofa as he took her in his arms, Lucas nodded;

"I'm always happy to oblige a beautiful lady, especially when she's my wife."

Taking possession of her mouth, he pushed her gently back on the sofa before realizing where they were. Shifting her to his lap, he placed his arm under her legs to rise from the sofa with her in his arms, continuing to explore her mouth as she met his responses with her own. Making his way up the staircase, he kicked the door to their bedroom open before placing her on the bed to kneel over her as he began unfastening her dress to slide it down her body as she did the same with his clothing. Noticing the look in his eyes as he shook his head, Dara demanded;

"What?"

Smiling as he pulled the clasp holding her hair up to let it fall free as he pushed it over her shoulder to admit;

"It's just that it never fails to astound me; no matter how many times I see you like this, whether you're pregnant or not, you look more beautiful than the time before."

Feeling a quiver of pleasure at her husband's statement, Dara pulled his head down to kiss him, allowing him to deepen the kiss before he began trailing the length of her body with his mouth. As he reached her abdomen, Lucas stopped suddenly before looking at at his wife to demand;

"Is that the first time that he's moved?"

Nodding eagerly, she waited as Lucas placed his hand over the same spot, waiting to feel the slight fluttering again. Feeling the slight jerking motion pressing against his hand, he lifted his eyes to meet his wife's as he smiled broadly before observing;

"Well, we're three for three now."

Dara couldn't help but laugh at his statement; with both of her previous pregnancies, the first time that they had felt the babies move had been while they were making love. Finding mutual pleasure and release in each other, they clung to each other as they drifted off to sleep. The earlier event with the snake, Garrett Darvin's threats, the stress of the day seemed to dim in comparison to the peace they found in the aftermath of their lovemaking and the joy they felt at their child's first movements.

Much to, both, Lucas and Dara's relief, Rinie's party had been successfully uneventful as the children enjoyed themselves with no trouble or threat from Garrett Darvin. With the party behind them, life seemed to return to a somewhat normal pace, thanks to Mama Lucy's presence, especially given the fact that Dara still seemed to suffer unbearably from exhaustion and various other symptoms that still seemed to defy any explanation, although Matt worked diligently for a reason for her illness as well as a way to help ease her symptoms if not completely cure her illness.

While Lucas was more aware of his wife's frail health than what he had been at the beginning of her pregnancy, Dara had been able to keep just how serious her illness was from her husband, although that was proving to be increasingly difficult as the symptoms gained in their intensity. However, the realization of just how serious Dara's condition was hit Lucas full force just before the second week of January when she was about six months into her pregnancy.

Lucilla, needing to gather some of her things that she had left at her home, had decided to venture back to her home, two hours away, for the day. Caleb and Trina, on break from school, had volunteered to take her so that she would be able to return sooner, leaving Dara and the younger children alone for the day. Although her day had begun well enough, as the day progressed, Dara found that she was feeling increasingly weaker. She was about to begin preparing supper when a wave of dizziness, stronger than anything she had previously suffered, descended on her with a vengeance. Grabbing at the kitchen counter in an effort to support herself as she attempted to overcome the sensation. However, she realized that she was unable to fight succumbing to the overwhelming sensation just before she found herself being engulfed in darkness as she collapsed on the floor into oblivion.

Alex, Riesa and Rinie had all heard the strange noise coming from the kitchen and, curious as to its source, went to investigate. Assuming that, since they didn't see their mother, she must have gone to investigate the noise for herself, the trio decided to make their way back to the living room to continue watching their cartoons when Rinie decided that she was thirsty. Making her way around the center isle in the kitchen towards the refrigerator, her eyes widened in fear as she began shouting for her siblings, having found their mother lying on the floor, unconscious. Kneeling on the floor next to their mother, they began trying to revive her as Alex and Rinie tried pulling at her arm as Rinie pleaded;

"Wake up, Mommy, please."

Glancing at his sister, Alex demanded, the fear evident on his face;

"What should we do, she won't wake up?"

Glancing at the digital clock on the microwave oven, having learned the concept of time and aware of when her father usually arrived home from work, Rinie speculated;

"Daddy should be home soon, he'll know what to do."

As if on cue, they heard the front door open and their father's voice announcing his arrival. Jumping up to run up the hallway to the front door, Riesa ran to her father in a panic. Hearing the hurried footsteps coming up the hallway, Lucas realized that there was only one child running towards him and was about to offer his usual greeting when he saw the panic on Riesa's face as she advised him;

"DADDY! COME QUICK, THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH MOMMY!"

Making his way into the kitchen in an instant, Lucas found his children kneeling over their mother's unconscious body. Although he couldn't deny the fear and panic that he felt, he tried to remain as calm as possible as he knelt by his wife to quickly access if she had any visible injuries, finding none, he placed his arm behind her shoulders to gently lift her head from the floor as he cradled her to his chest before he began gently patting her cheek as he begged;

"Dara, honey, come on and open your eyes for me now, love. Come on now, baby, wake up."

When he received no response he tried again a little more insistently as he grasped her chin to turn her head from side to side as he ordered more harshly;

"Wake up, baby, come on and look at me. Dammit, Dara open your eyes."

Still receiving no response, Lucas stood to place his other arm under her legs to lift her off the floor into his arms. He tried keeping his own panic down as he felt Rinie touch his hand before asking timidly;

"Is Mommy going to be alright, Daddy?"

Seeing the question in the eyes of all three children, he tried to reassure them;

"I hope so, angel."

Trying to decide on the best course of action, considering his three youngest children, Lucas found himself infinitely grateful to hear the front door open. Rushing up the hallway and finding Caleb, Trina and Mama Lucy, all three of whom stood staring in shock and worry at the sight of him holding an unconscious Dara in his arms, motioning Caleb out the door and seeing that the boy understood his meaning as he opened the car door for his father as Lucas hurriedly instructed;

"Call Crower and tell him that your mother passed out but she isn't waking up. I'm taking her to the hospital now."

Settling her in the front seat, Lucas rushed to the driver's side and hurried in the direction of Fulton County General, leaving Caleb to fulfill his instructions and Trina and Mama Lucy trying to comfort the younger children's fears for their mother.


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8**

Lucas found himself sitting in the waiting room, waiting for Crower to give him some news regarding his wife's condition as he stared out the window, begging whatever deity there was that his wife and unborn child would be alright. Finally, Matt entered the waiting room and approaching Lucas, he couldn't help but notice how red the man's eyes were and could have sworn that the man had been crying. He wasn't shocked when Lucas demanded, the fear evident in his voice;

"Well?"

Shaking his head, Matt leveled with him, deciding that it was time to come clean about the extent of Dara's illness;

"First of all, I have to be honest with you; whatever this is, she's been battling it for a while, since before her pregnancy. It seems that the further into her pregnancy she gets the more intense the symptoms get. I've run every test there is on her for the past two and a half months trying to find a cause and, to be honest, I'm stumped. She stays exhausted, she's continuously dizzy with headaches and sore throats. And, according to her, she sleeps but she doesn't get any rest from it."

Considering what Matt was telling him, Lucas realized that he had seen everything that had just been described to him, but he had always accepted Dara's explanations of a new virus or that she simply didn't feel well. As he mulled over Matt's explanation, he recalled a key piece of information and narrowed his eyes in suspicion as he questioned;

"Wait a minute, Harvard; back up. You said that you've been running these tests for two and a half months on my wife? Would you care to tell me why the hell I'm just now hearing about this?"

Matt rose to get a cup of coffee, he had known when he had told Lucas about Dara's health issues that something like this was probably coming. Taking his seat as he offered Lucas a cup of coffee, Matt could see that to say the man was aggravated was a serious understatement as he growled;

"Forget the damn coffee, Crower. I want to know why I wasn't told just how serious my wife's health problems are."

Setting the cup on the table next to Lucas, Matt reclaimed his own chair as he offered;

"Look, it wasn't my idea not to tell you. I knew the night of her birthday party that something seemed 'off' with her. When I brought her presents to your house the next day, after you left for work, she and I had a long talk and that was when she told me about her symptoms. I started running tests on her that next Monday, I've even run tests for things that I know can't be a possibility in the hopes that something pops on one of them to at least give us a place to begin, but all of her tests come back the same way; normal. The only thing that I've found is her iron deficiency, but that's something that she's had her entire life, so that's not exactly a starting point."

Running his hand through his hair in aggravation, Lucas demanded;

"Whose idea was it not to tell me? As if I didn't already know."

Leaning closer, Matt lowered his voice a he confessed;

"It was Dara's, she told me what's been going on with your half brother and she said that she didn't want to worry you with one more thing, at least not until we figured out why she's having the problems that she is."

Nodding his understanding, but frustrated over the fact that she had chosen to carry the burden alone rather than share it and let him try to, at least, support her, Lucas sighed heavily as he surmised;

"So what do we do now? I mean you're telling me that my wife has a disease that you can't find."

Holding his hands open in a pleading gesture, Matt offered;

"Do you think I'm any happier about this than what you are? I mean, if I don't know what's wrong with her then I can't exactly help her either. I've taken the liberty of calling a friend of mine, he's an expert in obscure diseases, believe me, if anyone can find the answer it's him."

Nodding, the appreciation for Matt's foresight evident on his face, Lucas asked in worry;

"But what about now, how is she now?"

Understanding his unspoken concern, Matt offered;

"We did an ultrasound and the baby appears to be fine, whatever happened didn't seem to have any affect on the baby. She's conscious and she doesn't seem to be having any pain, other than the one in her back, but we knew to expect that. But, there is one major thing that you need to prepare yourself for."

His patience finding his temper short, Lucas demanded;

"Well, what is it?"

Sighing, his concern evident on his face, Matt explained;

"She's thoroughly exhausted, I mean beyond belief and that's aside from her obvious depression. Although I think the latter is more a result of her frustration over her illness. But, she wants to go home and since there aren't any complications with the baby, not to mention her mental state at the moment I think that isn't a bad idea."

Understanding the logic of Matt's decision, Lucas nodded his agreement;

"Alright, I want whatever is best for her and the baby. If you're sure that she and the baby aren't in any danger then I'll take her home."

Matt led the way to Dara examination room, Lucas had to brace himself when he saw her; she looked exceedingly frail and it was obvious that sitting up was proving a difficult chore for her. Trying to be reassuring, Lucas smiled as he informed her in a cheerful voice;

"Sweetheart, Harvard said that I can take you on home, so why don't we get you dressed and I'll take you home; alright?"

Dara offered a slight nod of acknowledgment as she remained silent. Lucas realized that her silence was due to the fact that she was simply too tired to speak. Turning to Matt, who understood the silent cue and left to finalize her discharge, Lucas took her clothes from the nearby chair and helped her dress since she was unable to do it for herself. He had just finished when Crower entered with a wheelchair for her discharge and was holding her arm to help her down from the examination table, something Lucas was infinitely glad he did as she slid from the table in an attempt to stand, only to find that her legs were refusing to hold her. Dara knew that, if it weren't for her husband, she would have landed in a heap on the floor had he not caught her. Trying to brace herself, Dara glanced up into her husband's face and seeing the concern as well as love and frustration over the situation, she found that she couldn't hold her emotions back any longer as she began crying weakly as she remained silent.

Seeing the frustration on his wife's face, Lucas held her tightly to his chest as he laid his cheek on the top of her head;

"It's alright, darlin, we're going to find out what this is, I promise, Matt called a specialist and he'll be able to help you. Baby, please don't cry, I can't stand to see you like this, especially when there's nothing that I can do to fix it for you."

Standing silent as he watched the exchange, Matt couldn't help but marvel at the sight of Lucas Buck trying to comfort his wife. Five years ago he would never have thought the man even capable of possession the feelings for anyone that he was now displaying for Dara. He found his faults brought to the present as he noticed that Dara had finally calmed down as her husband wiped the tears from her eyes to ask;

"A little better now?"

Dara simply nodded weakly as she leaned against Lucas for support as he settled her in the wheelchair that Matt pushed behind her. Once they reached the parking lot, Lucas lifted her from the chair to settle her in the car as Matt advised;

"When Adam gets here, I'll call you."

Nodding his appreciation, Lucas slid behind the wheel of the car as he headed in the direction of their home. Once he cut the engine, he turned to Dara in uncertainty as he questioned;

"Darlin, do you think that you can make it into the house on your own?"

Tears glistening in her eyes as she turned to answer his query, Dara shook her head sadly as she confessed;

"I'm not even sure that I can get out of the car by myself."

Lucas quickly opened her door to lift her in his arms, feeling a wave of despair wash over him as she wrapped her arms around his neck to bury her face against his shoulder as she began crying. Holding her tighter, Lucas patted her back comfortingly as he soothed;

"It's alright, baby, just let it out, you've kept it in long enough. Don't worry, I'm right here and that's never going to change, we'll find out what the problem is and we're going to fix it."

Lucas made his way to the front porch and found the door being swung wide open as he reached the top step. Seeing that Caleb was about to say something, he shook his head, cutting his son off as he continued on his course up the staircase to his and Dara's bedroom. Opening the door, he settled her on the bed before grabbing her gown as he made her comfortable before tucking her in and making certain that she was warm enough as he kissed her cheek before turning to leave her to rest. Given the situation, he wasn't shocked when she grabbed his hand to plead;

"Please, don't leave me, stay with me until I fall asleep."

Squeezing her hand, Lucas laid on the bed next to his wife as he pulled her into his arms before trying to reassure her;

"It's going to be fine, honey. This specialist will be able to find out what the problem is and then they'll be able to help you. Darlin, I'm right here and I promise you, that won't change, I'll be right here to take care of you."

Although Lucas knew that she was crying once more, he also knew that she needed to let her emotions out, rather than keeping them bottled up inside. Knowing that it was bothering her, he began massaging her lower back, where he knew it would be bothering her the most, to try and help her relax. It wasn't long before he could feel her breathing deepen and become more even as he realized that she had finally fallen asleep. Pushing the hair away from her face, Lucas placed a gentle kiss on her cheek before making his way downstairs to discuss the situation with the rest of their family.

Entering the living room, Lucas found his children as well as his grandmother and Trina, all waiting to hear the news of Matt Crower's findings regarding Dara's health. Lucas settled into his chair as he gratefully accepted a cup of coffee from his grandmother as Caleb, unable to bare the tension, addressed the issue directly as he demanded;

"Alright, Dad, what's wrong with Mama? And please, don't tell us that she 'just fainted', she's been passing out a lot and there has to be some reason for it."

Setting his cup on the side table, Lucas nodded as he told them what he knew;

"You're right, son, there is a problem. Apparently, your mother has been ill since before this pregnancy, but the symptoms have gotten worse the further into her pregnancy she gets."

Alex, Riesa and Rinie all looked at each other in fear before turning to their father in seriousness as Riesa asked her father in fear;

"Daddy, is Mommy going to die?"

Having picked up his coffee cup to take a sip, Lucas found himself choking on the liquid as he slammed his cup down abruptly before turning to glare at his daughter as he exploded;

"NO! AND DON'T YOU EVER ASK ME A QUESTION LIKE THAT AGAIN, YOUNG LADY! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?"

Riesa tried valiantly to hold back her tears of hurt, but found herself unable to do so; her father had never raised his voice at her, Rinie or her brothers. Seeing the hurt and confusion on his daughter's face, as well as the tears that were spilling from the eyes that were so much like Dara's, Lucas found himself instantly regretful of his outburst. Unable to bare the sight of his child in such sadness and pain, he held his arms open to her and watched, a tug at his heart, as she hesitantly approached him and allowed him to lift her up to his lap before hugging her tightly as he wiped the tears from her eyes as he offered;

"Baby girl, I'm truly sorry for yelling at you. And no, Mommy isn't going to die, we need her here with us too much; don't we?"

At the little girl's eager nod, Lucas continued;

"It's just that we aren't sure exactly what's making Mommy so sick right now."

Addressing the rest of his family, he advised;

"That's why we all need to pull together. She's very tired and very weak and Dr. Matt says that she needs to get as much rest as possible; so, we need to make the rest of her pregnancy as easy on her as we possibly can. Matt called in a specialist to see if we can't find out exactly what's wrong because he hasn't been able to find an explanation for it. So now that you all understand what's going on, do I have all of your cooperation?"

Lucas found himself worried about his family's reaction as the room became deathly silent, until Trina ventured in a timid voice;

"If Mama Lucy can handle it until Caleb and I get home from school, we can take care of the house and cooking as well as the grocery shopping and help with the kids as much as possible."

Nodding his gratitude Lucas couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the girl's eagerness to volunteer her help without hesitation. Finding his voice, he speculated;

"I've got some time coming and since things are fairly quite right now, I know that when I tell Ben what's going on, he and Floyd won't mind covering for me so that I can be here to help as much as possible."

Turning to his grandmother, Lucas couldn't help but cast her a hopeful glance as he ventured;

"Well, Mama, it's up to you; are you in it with us?"

Seeing the hopeful look on the faces of her grandchildren, Lucilla nodded as she stated in disbelief that her grandson wouldn't have already anticipated her answer;

"Of course I am, boy. We're a family and at times like this we stick together so I'm surprised that you even felt the need to ask."

Sighing in relief, Lucas realized that he had overcome one obstacle, now, if they could just get past the much larger and most important one of finding the source of Dara's illness and how to cure it, he would be able to breathe much easier.

Lucas and Dara sat across the desk from Matt and the specialist, Dr. Adam Winfield, waiting for his diagnosis of Dara's condition. She had immediately felt as ease with the man's manner and attitude; he was probably about ten years older than Lucas with just a touch of gray in his dark hair and eyes that were soft and kind. They found themselves sitting on tinder hooks as the physician glanced up from the latest batch of test results on Dara that they had just received. As well as the results from the barrage of tests that Matt had already had performed. Folding his hands in front of him on the desktop, he advised;

"Well, Mrs. Buck, I think that we've finally found out what your problem is."

Her head snapping to attention, Dara subconsciously grasped her husband's hand as she sat waiting for whatever news she was about to receive. Seeing the looks of fear that the couple sitting across from him were wearing, Winfield offered a reassuring smile as he explained;

"Actually, what you have, Mrs. Buck, is a fairly common disease, it is, however, very difficult to diagnose. But after reviewing the results of both my mine and Matt's examinations and based on our findings, we've both agreed that you're suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome."

Dara couldn't help but look at the man skeptically before turning to her husband, who asked the question he felt most important in his mind;

"Is this fatal?"

Shaking his head, Adam rushed to assure them;

"No, Sheriff Buck, it's not fatal. However, it can, in some cases, be very debilitating, such as in your wife's case."

Turning to Dara, Adam questioned;

"According to Matt, you said that you were feeling drained even before this pregnancy; correct?"

Nodding, Dara clarified;

"Yes, I was suffering from the fatigue and headaches since about, maybe, six months or so before we discovered that I was pregnant."

Adam sat back as he theorized;

"Well, the good news is that, now that we know what we're dealing with, we can try and help you with some stronger pre-natal vitamins as well as an iron supplement. Matt explained that you've have an issue with a low iron count since you were a child, but the lower your count is the more tired and drained you're going to feel. And if it will make you feel any better to know it, Mrs. Buck, I've seen some women who don't seem to suffer from any significant problems during their pregnancies who also suffer from CFS, but, I've also seen women, such as yourself, who seem to have a severe problem with it in their pregnancies. Now, that's not to say that if you should choose to have another child after this one that you would be subject to these problems during that pregnancy. There's no rhyme or reason for it, but there have been women who have severe problems during one pregnancy only to have none during another pregnancy."

Trying to fully understand his wife's condition, Lucas ventured;

"So the dizziness and the fainting, they're normal with her condition?"

Nodding, Adam explained;

"Yes, especially considering the problem that she has with her low iron count and the fatigue and weakness, it's a very normal occurrence. Once we get her iron levels up I think you'll find that those symptoms will ease up and, more than likely, disappear as long as her iron and energy levels are in normal range. I will say though, that in her condition she needs to be extremely cautious, especially when it comes to driving or climbing stairs, things of that nature."

Determined to learn as much about what they were dealing with as possible, Lucas asked;

"What are some of the contributing factors that can make her condition worse?"

Having remained silent, allowing Adam to explain the diagnosis, Matt spoke up as he offered;

"Stress seems to be a big factor; the more stress that she has to deal with the worse the fatigue and weakness will be. The only real solution that we can offer to help is to give her the vitamins and iron supplements and for her to get as much rest as possible and to avoid stress as much as she possibly can."

Dara had sat, taking in all the information in order to gain a better understanding of what she was dealing with, silent. Considering everything she has learned up to this point, she couldn't help but venture;

"Dr. Winfield, you said that in some cases, like mine, that sometimes pregnancy makes the symptoms worse; does that mean that once the baby is born that I'll be somewhat better?"

Seeing the gleam of hope in his patient's eyes, Adam wanted to assure her that she would be perfectly healthy after the impending birth of her child, however, he also knew that she was going to be dealing with her condition for the rest of her life. Offering a warm smile of understanding, he explained;

"Mrs. Buck, Dara, please understand something; you're going to have to live with this condition for the rest of your life. There will be times when you're going to feel perfectly healthy and normal and what you're dealing with now will just seem like a bad memory. However, there are also going to be times when you'll be subject to bouts of weakness and fatigue as well, and as much as I hate to be the one to tell you this, my dear, there are going to be times when you may find yourself too exhausted to even speak and days when getting out of your bed will seem impossible for you. But, I feel reasonably comfortable in saying that, once you've given birth to your child and you've recovered, you should see a marked improvement in your energy level. But for right now, until we get your iron level built up, for the most part, you're going to be tired and weak. However, the good news is that there are things that you're going to be able to do to help ease the symptoms; vitamins, exercise and proper rest seem to be the most important keys that we've found so far to help."

Furrowing his brow, Lucas pinned the man with his eyes as he demanded;

"But what about when it comes time for her to deliver the baby? I mean, giving birth is exhausting enough and she had a bad time delivering our other children; won't labor and delivery totally wear her down?"

Consulting her medical file, Adam observed;

"I see here that you've given birth twice; a set of twins and a single birth, both of which were early deliveries. You're first pregnancy was a natural delivery and the last was by C-section and according to your file, your previous pregnancies were both troubled in the beginning by outside influences. However, this pregnancy has so far proven normal, aside from the issues due to your condition, none of which seems to have affected the baby."

Closing the folder, he sat back and grasped his chin as he considered a moment before turning to Matt to offer;

"I would suggest that you wait until she's a little further along and then decide on the best way for her to deliver from there. I'm not a big advocate of C-section deliveries unless they are absolutely necessary."

Turning his glance to Dara he advised;

"I strongly suggest that if you've gained some strength by the time you're due to deliver, you do so naturally. However, please understand, if you're not any stronger by that time then a C-section will be necessary."

Noticing her eyes turning to search his face of an indication of his opinion on the matter, Matt nodded;

"I agree with Adam, I think that it would be best for us to wait and see how you're doing when you're closer to your due date."

Lucas, having remained somewhat silent through the consultation, had been studying his wife carefully as she processed all of the information that they had been given and knew, beyond a doubt, that what she needed most at the moment was to feel as if she had some control. Although the last descriptive that he would ever use to describe his wife would be the term 'controlling', Lucas knew that the past few months had proven a test of her reserve of patience because she had absolutely no say or control over what she had been dealing with. Considering that fact now, he knew that it was vital for her to feel as if she had, at least, some say in how they would proceed, especially given that she was the one being directly affected. Speaking up, Lucas turned to Dara to ask;

"Darlin, you're the one whose going to be on the table here; what do YOU want to do?"

Considering the information that she had just been given for a moment, Dara turned to lock eyes with her husband as she responded;

"If it's at all possible, I want to deliver the baby naturally."

Nodding, Lucas turned to the two men to affirm his support of his wife's decision;

"Alright, you heard her. Is that all that we need to know, or is there anything else?" 

Glancing to each other, Matt and Adam confirmed that they had covered all of the necessary information as Matt handed two bottles of capsules and well as prescription slips to Lucas as he explained;

"These are her vitamins and her iron, make sure that she takes them every morning, it will probably take a week or two but you should notice a difference, but you still need to make sure that she rests as much as she possibly can."

Although he had dreaded the thought of it, Matt knew that he needed to address them on a personal issue as well;

"Look, in light of the situation, I think that there's something that you two should consider."

Sensing that he was hesitating about whatever was on his mind, Dara met Matt's look with one of her own as she demanded;

"Alright, Matt, go ahead and say what's on your mind."

Steadying himself, especially considering how certain he was as to her reaction, Matt took a deep breath;

"Well, since they're older now, and under the circumstances, I think that you should strongly consider enrolling the kids in pre-school."

Matt wasn't shocked by the look she gave him as she stared at him before demanding in disbelief;

"You want me to considering dumping my children in a day care all day, away from me?"

Shaking her head vehemently, Dara admonished;

"I don't think so, Matt."

Touching his wife's arm, having been actually giving consideration to Matt's suggestion since Dara's health had become so precarious, Lucas suggested;

"Darlin, considering that the twins are four and Rinie is three now, I think that we should give this some thought. It may not be such a bad idea."

The shock of his statement evident in her eyes, Lucas knew that this was going to be a subject for debate, especially when she offered tritely;

"I'm ready to go home, we can discuss this in more detail later on."

With that, she pushed herself up from her chair as Lucas held the door open for her to precede him from Matt's office. Turning to glance at Matt as the couple left, Adam speculated;

"Unless I miss my guess, I think it's safe to say that Sheriff and Mrs. Buck will be having a VERY serious discussion thanks to your suggestion."

Nodding, Matt agreed;

"Yes, I'm sure that you're right. But, I can pretty much promise you that, despite her reluctance to put their children in pre-school, if he thinks that it's what's going to prove the best thing for her and those children, Lucas Buck won't brook any argument from her or anyone else, especially if it's for his wife's benefit."

Lucas had been more than aware that, when he voiced his agreement of Matt's opinion, Dara was going to have a very strong opinion of her own on the subject. The truth was that he had been giving serious consideration to the idea of their children beginning pre-school since his realization of just how ill his wife truly was, although, he had never had the nerve to discuss the idea with her, at least not until now. While the reality was that, soon, it would be mandatory for their children to spend hours away from her everyday, he knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that she would be less than receptive to the idea of being separated from their children. Despite the fact that she had vented her frustrations in silence, Lucas, knowing that it was an inevitability, wasn't shocked when she chastised him;

"I cannot believe that you would actually consider the idea of our children being away from us for several hours everyday."

Sighing, knowing that the onset of a disagreement was pending, Lucas offered;

"Sweetheart, no offense, but you seem to forget that I'm away from them for several hours everyday anyway; remember?"

Turning to stare out the window at the passing countryside, Dara stated;

"Well I'm not."

Without a word, Lucas turned down a dirt path and brought the car to a halt as Dara stared at him in disbelief as he cut the motor before demanding in shock;

"What are you doing?"

Running his hand through his hair in frustration, Lucas came directly to the point;

"We're going to settle this right now, and, since we don't fight or argue in front of our children and I don't see us settling this without one, I thought that this was the best course of action. Now, I've tried to avoid being blunt and forceful, but, you and your stubbornness are forcing me to do both, so, let me explain this to you. I understand that, especially these past few months, you don't feel as if you particularly have any control over what's going on in our life. Believe me, darlin, I know that you've been through a lot in a short time; in five years, give or take, you've uprooted your life for your mother's sake, rebuilt your life here, lost your mother, married me, lost your father, became a mother to four children, one of which you adopted, and now, you're about to have another baby as well as discovering that you have something that is going to hold control over you for the rest of your life. Not to mention that son of a bitch who keeps turning our life upside down; all of which has probably left you feeling as if you're caught up in a whirlwind with no choice except to go where it blows you."

Although he could see the anger in her glare as well as the fact that her eyes seemed to be flashing a dark emerald green, Lucas continued;

"I realize that having the children with you gives you some measure of control as well as the fact that the idea of our babies growing up is a little depressing, believe me, I feel the same way. But the fact is that they are at an age where they need to begin learning how to interact with other children their own age, aside from each other. I think that it would be better for them, as well as for you, if they are in pre-school, you're about to have a new baby to occupy your time pretty soon and given your condition, tending to four children is going to prove very difficult for you, not to mention physically exhausting. It's not as if we're planning on sending them to some run down public school, we can afford the best and that's exactly what we're going to have for them. Now, can you possibly give me a rational and acceptable reason why we shouldn't consider sending them?"

Bracing himself for the brunt of her anger, especially given the heated glare on her face, Lucas found himself remorseful for his forcefulness when the look in her eyes changed to one of sadness as she lowered her head to mumble;

"No, I don't supposed that I can give you an acceptable reason why we shouldn't see about sending them to pre-school."

Unable to bear the pang of guilt in his chest at her sadness and the defeated tone he heard in her voice, Lucas wrapped his arms around her before pulling her closer to him as he sought to ease her mood;

"Darlin, I know that this is hard, but it really is going to be for the best."

Nodding her acceptance of his statement, Dara brushed her tears away as she admitted;

"I know, really, I do. It's just that I didn't realize, until now, that they had grown up so fast on me."

Pushing a stray curl back from her face, Lucas placed a gentle kiss on her lips before asking gently;

"A little better now?"

Offering a sad smile, Dara nodded as he started the car, satisfied that they had settled the issue, and headed for home.


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9**

With the mystery of Dara's illness now solved, as well as the knowledge that the disease didn't pose a fatal threat to her life, her family found themselves able to enjoy the twins' birthdays as well as Dara and Lucas' anniversary, both of which were on the same day. However, not wanting to overshadow their children's birthday celebration, Lucas and Dara had opted to celebrate their anniversary on the following weekend, agreeing with Loris and Matt's offer to allow the younger children to spend the night with them, especially since Caleb and Trina were planning on attending a school dance. Deciding that she didn't wish to be a third wheel, as well as giving her grandson and granddaughter in law an opportunity to spend their anniversary alone, Lucilla had seized on Matt and Loris' invitation to spend the evening with them, entertaining her great grandchildren.

Dara found her spirits bolstered, especially given that she had followed Matt and Adam's medical advice and taken her vitamins and iron pills faithfully. As predicted, she found that she felt less exhausted, not to mention finding that she was now able to accomplish some of the more simple tasks that she had been forced to forego previously. Sitting on the deck of the same restaurant where they had gone on their first date, overlooking the water, Lucas ordered her, after the waitress had taken their orders;

"I want you to hold your arms straight out."

Raising a delicate eyebrow quizzically, Dara remained silent as Lucas pleaded;

"Come on, darlin, humor me, please."

Giggling slightly as she heard the pleading in his tone, Dara let out a sigh as she complied and he nodded;

"Okay, now, close your eyes."

Seeing the mischief in his eyes, she quipped;

"Lucas Buck, so help me if you handcuff me I am so going to get you for it."

Shaking his head, Lucas chastised lightly as he lowered his voice;

"Darlin, the only people who need to resort to that kind of thing are ones who need to 'create' their own excitement. I think we have more than enough excitement on our own."

Glancing pointedly at her swollen abdomen before placing his hand lightly on the swell, he quipped;

"Don't you?"

Blushing delicately, Dara emitted a slight laugh as she nodded before complying with his request by closing her eyes. As her eyes were closed, Lucas advised her;

"You were sort of on track when you mentioned being handcuffed."

She could feel him touching her wrist as he ordered;

"Alright, open your eyes."

Doing as her husband had instructed, Dara gasped as Lucas explained;

"But, as you can see, handcuffs wasn't the type of bracelet that I had in mind."

Slowly, Dara lowered her arms to bring her wrist up to examine the gift her husband had given her for their anniversary. There were five precious stones; an emerald, a ruby, a sapphire, an amethyst and a blue topaz, the stones were the center of small roses made up of rose gold, each setting flanked on either side by small gold leaves that connected to each other with a diamond between each leaf. Brushing away a tear, Dara lifted her eyes to meet her husbands' as she stated in a soft tone;

"This is too much, you've got to stop doing this, it's too extravagant."

Shrugging nonchalantly, Lucas simply shook his head as he questioned;

"And just exactly who else should I buy things like this for? Besides, each stone represents each year that we've been married, and the roses, well, I know how much you love them."

Realization dawning in her eyes, Dara couldn't help but smile as she speculated;

"You designed this and had it made, didn't you?

Lucas simply nodded as she pushed herself up to lean across the table to offer her gratitude;

"Thank you so much, my darling heart, I love it."

Placing his hand on her cheek, Lucas returned the kiss as he nodded towards his own wrist and the new watch he was wearing before offering;

"You're more than welcome, sweetheart, thank you for my gift. And by the way, just how did you know that this was the one I wanted?"

Offering a sly, pert smile, Dara quipped;

"You do realize that, after five years of being married to you, you're not the only one who can read minds, don't you?"

Lucas was unable to keep from laughing at her statement, finding her good mood infectious. He was infinitely grateful to see that she was in such good spirits, especially compared to her condition just a couple of week's prior. Before he could ponder his train of thought any further, a waiter approached them, holding a bottle of champagne, eliciting a puzzled look from Lucas who ventured;

"I think you've made a mistake, we didn't order any champagne. We didn't even order any wine, my wife's pregnant and doesn't drink alcohol."

Nodding his understanding of their concern, the young man rushed to assure Lucas;

"I know, Sheriff Buck, but the gentleman at the bar sent this over and said something about wishing you and your wife a happy anniversary."

Seeing the panic rising in her eyes, Lucas wasn't surprised when his wife fearfully asked;

"He couldn't have found us, could he?"

Placing his hand over hers, Lucas turned to glance over his shoulder towards the bar to find the person that he already knew would be seated there; Garrett Darvin. Turning back to the waiter, he stopped him from opening the bottle;

"Look, just take it back and tell the gentleman; thank you, but no thank you."

Uncertain as to what he should do, the young man asked hesitantly;

"Sheriff, are you sure?"

Although he did so more forcefully then what he had intended, Lucas answered;

"Just take the damn think back to the man and tell him that neither my wife nor I want it. If he doesn't understand that then he can go to hell for all that I care."

Shrugging, the waiter departed as Dara ventured in uncertainty;

"Should we leave?"

Shaking his head vehemently, determined not to allow Garrett Darvin to ruin anymore for them than what he already had, Lucas stood his ground;

"NO! This is OUR favorite restaurant and it's OUR anniversary. I refuse to let that bastard spoil it for us."

Before he could say more, Lucas heard an all too familiar voice, taunting;

"Now that wasn't very nice, big brother. I just wanted to congratulate you and my sweet little sister in law on your anniversary, what bad manners. Now what would our father say?"

Glaring at the man in hatred, Lucas challenged;

"Do you really think that I particularly give a damn what that son of a bitch would say about anything? As far as your 'intentions' go; so far you've sent my wife a tarantula for her birthday, tried to throw her in the path of a car and let a giant python loose in our home. So what was in the bottle, nitroglycerin?"

Shrugging carelessly, Garrett demanded;

"And just why do you think that I'm the one responsible for the snake, especially given that you're not exactly a shining example of congeniality?"

Narrowing his eyes to mere slits, Lucas growled in a dangerously low tone;

"Let's just call it instinct. Now, if you wouldn't mind, it is our anniversary and we want to celebrate it in peace."

Smirking, Garrett observed;

"From what I understand, my charming sister in law seems to require quite a bit of 'peace' these days. Tell me something, do you think that they'll ever be able to find a cure for this fatigue syndrome?"

Dara felt her fear rising as her husband stated in a dangerous tone;

"I don't know how you know and I don't particularly give a damn, but I suggest that you forget that you do. And if you even so much as think about doing anything to her, it's going to be the last thought that you ever have."

Seeing that his brother's ire was rising, Garrett pushed his taunting as he turned to Dara to demand, without tact;

"So, Dara, tell me something, did you acquire this by all of your exhausting activities in the bedroom?"

Seeing his wife's look of horrified shock and embarrassment in her face and eyes as she brought her hands up to cover her mouth at the other man's tactlessness, Lucas was up and out of his chair so quickly that Dara wasn't certain that he had even been sitting down. Before she could launch a protest, her husband had drawn back to punch and landed a right hook on the younger man's mouth. He was about to follow it up with a left hook when Dara managed to struggle from her chair in an attempt to restrain and calm him; however, she realized too late, by the look of opportunity on Garrett's face, what was about to happen.

As Dara had grabbed her husband's arm, she saw Garrett draw his arm back as if he were aiming to open handed slap Lucas, but instead of connecting with Lucas' face, he caught Dara's left cheek with enough force to throw her off balance which sent her stumbling into one of the wooden support posts. Unfortunately, a small decorative table was in front of it and just the right height for the corner to find its way jammed into the swell of Dara's stomach before she fell to the floor. Lucas knew by the smirk on the younger man's face that, assaulting Dara, had been his intention all along.

Seeing the anger and fury rising to the surface, Dara suddenly recalled something that Lucas had said before; _'Buck men are driven by hatred and anger.'_ She realized, at that moment, that pushing her husband to this point was what Garrett Darvin had been trying to accomplish. She quickly regained her balance to rush over to her husband, who had begun thoroughly and systematically beating the other man as he raged;

"NO ONE TOUCHES MY WIFE, YOU SON OF A BITCH, NO ONE!"

Grabbing his arm, Dara tried to restrain him as she begged;

"LUCAS! NO, STOP IT! DON'T YOU UNDERTAND THAT THIS WHAT HE WANTS; TO MAKE YOU LOSE CONTROL OF YOURSELF. PLEASE, HONEY, PLEASE STOP!"

She thought that when she felt it before it had simply been due to colliding with the wooden post and small table, however, when it happened again with an intensity that found her collapsing to the floor, Dara realized that her impact with the table into her stomach had, indeed, caused damage. Feeling the onset of another spasm of pain, all she could do was to simply grip her stomach with both hands as she cried out from the severity.

Despite the haze of hatred that he felt at that moment, Lucas dimly realized that his wife was no longer pleading with him to stop, especially as he now had his hands wrapped around the other man's throat. His senses slowly returning, he realized that he vaguely heard the sound of whimpering, turning in the direction of the sound, he noticed the look of intense pain on his wife's bruised face as well as the fact that she was gripping her stomach in both hands as she lay on the floor. Realizing that there was a problem with their baby, he abruptly released Garrett, who was now being assisted by the wait staff to quickly kneel next to his wife as he placed his arm behind her shoulders to raise her up as he asked fearfully;

"Is it the baby?"

As another wave of pain washed over her. Dara realized that these pains were much different than the ones that she had experienced during her previous pregnancies during labor. Tears streaming down her face, she turned to her husband to whisper in a frightened voice;

"I think that I'm having a miscarriage."

Quickly, Lucas rose to his feet to lift her from the floor into his arms as he ordered over his shoulder;

"Call Fulton County Hospital and ask for Dr. Matt Crower. Tell him that I'm bringing my wife in and that we think she's miscarrying. Then, call the station and tell whoever is on duty that I said to get over here and arrest Garrett Darvin, NOW! Whatever the damages are, bill me for them."

Certain his dictates would be carried out, Lucas rushed to the car to settled Dara inside before flipping on the lights as he sped in the direction of the hospital.

An hour later, Lucas stood staring out the window of the emergency room waiting room, waiting for Matt to deliver his findings of Dara's exam. Finally, when Matt appeared Lucas felt grateful to see the physician sigh in relief before he offered;

"Thank God, we caught it in time; she didn't lose the baby and we were able to get her stabilized. However, I want her to stay here for a couple of days so that we can keep her on a fetal monitor and make sure that the baby is going to be okay. That will also help me decide whether or not she needs to be on bed rest and, if so, for how long."

Nodding his agreement with Matt's plan of treatment, Lucas couldn't help but ask, although he was pretty sure he already knew the answer to the question;

"Any idea exactly what caused it?" 

Matt couldn't help but stare at him in shock as he demanded;

"You mean she didn't tell you? When he hit her, she lost her balance and stumbled into one of the wooden posts, but there was some kind of small table and she caught the corner of it with her stomach."

His face a mask of shock, Lucas shook his head as he spoke softly;

"I knew he hit her, but I didn't realize that she had hit the post or the table. I just remember hearing her whimpering and when I looked at her she had collapsed on the floor and was holding her stomach."

Shaking his head in self disgust, he berated himself;

"I let that bastard get next to me to the point that I almost ignored my own wife when she needed me the most."

Feeling sympathy for the man, Matt placed his hand on his shoulder as he tried ease his guilt;

"Look, Buck, Lucas, I understand how you feel. I mean if someone did what this man has done to your wife and family, I'd want to strangle him myself. But, the thing is that beating yourself up right now isn't going to help things either and right now, you need to stay focused on Dara, and the baby and on your children. Now, Loris and I are keeping your three youngest ones until she is released and has a couple of days to stay at home; no argument."

Lucas couldn't help but agree as he offered his gratitude;

"Thank you, Harvard."

Taking a deep breath, Matt ventured;

"But, I will tell you this; she's under a lot of stress, she's doing better with the CFS, but she still has about nine weeks or so to go until she's due. Given this latest scare and her previous history, she's in extreme danger of either premature birth or even a miscarriage, so she has got to be very careful, that being the case, you need to do something to keep that brother or yours away from her because she may not be so lucky next time."

His eyes narrowing in determination, Lucas nodded before motioning towards the door as he asked;

"Can I see her now?"

Nodding, Matt explained;

"Yes, don't let her get upset, I had to give her a muscle relaxer to keep her from having any spasms and I gave her something for the pain. Between the two she's going to be pretty groggy, but, under the circumstances, the rest will be beneficial for her and the baby."

Thinking that they were done as he pushed the door to Dara's room open, Matt turned to leave when Lucas reached out to offer his hand as he offered;

"Thank you for everything, Harvard."

Excepting the offer of gratitude, Matt simply nodded before turning to make his way back down the hallway. Standing in the doorway, Lucas studied his wife for a moment before she turned to look at him drowsily before offering him a slight smile as she greeted;

"Hi."

Crossing the space to sit on the edge of her bed before taking her hand in his to bring it to his lips, he asked;

"Hi yourself, how are you feeling?"

Shrugging slightly, she offered;

"Matt said that he stopped me from losing the baby, so I'm fine."

Offering a slight chuckle, Dara joked;

"I'm don't know what he gave me, but it was definitely something good."

Lucas couldn't help but smile at the glimpse of her humor, until she turned serious;

"Darling, you have to stop letting him bait you like that; it's what he wants, to make you lose control of yourself. Somehow, he's figured out how to accomplish what he wants if he can just push you too far."

Holding her hand tightly, Lucas nodded in agreement of her statement as he gently touched her bruised cheek;

"Sweetheart, I know what you're saying is true and that I should be more careful, but that bastard knows that you're the right button to push where I'm concerned. Now, I think that we should drop the subject for tonight because you need to rest and you most definitely need to stay calm, for our child's sake as well as for your own. Before you start to worry, Loris and Mama Lucy have the kids and they're going to keep them until Matt decides that it's alright for you to go home."

Deciding that it was important for her to understand the precariousness of the situation with their child, Lucas deciding to level with her;

"I don't want you to get upset, but I think that it's important for you to know what we're dealing with. Did Matt explain everything to you?"

Swallowing hard, worried that there was something more serious with her condition than what Matt had told her she explained;

"He told me that I needed to be careful from here out because of what happened tonight."

Nodding, Lucas confirmed;

"Yes, and you need to stay calm, that being the case, we're going to put that idiot from our minds, at least for tonight and until Matt lets you out of here, I'm not going anywhere."

Placing her hand on his cheek she offered a slight, sleepy smile as she asked;

"Do you have any idea as to how much I love you?"

Nodding, Lucas replied;

"Yes, more and more everyday. Now, let that medicine do its job and close your eyes."

Feeling safe and secure as she held onto her husband's hand, Dara closed her eyes and let the medication take effect a she sank into slumber.

Two days later, Matt advised them that the fetal monitor showed the baby was stable and that he felt comfortable in releasing Dara go go home, although it was based on the condition that he and Loris would be keeping the kids with them for another day to give her the opportunity for a little more rest as well as giving the bruise marring her face a chance to fade. Once Lucas had made certain that she was comfortably settled in their bed with a strict order to rest, he left her in Mama Lucy's more than capable hands as he explained that he was needed at the station.

Hearing the bell over the door announcing someone's presence, Ben glanced up and felt immediate concern by the determined look on Lucas' hardened features. He had gone by the hospital the night of the altercation to let Lucas know that they had taken Garrett Darvin into custody and he knew from his girlfriend, Rita, the head nurse at the hospital, that Dara have been released earlier, so Lucas' appearance came as no surprise. Concerned, having developed a genuine fondness for Dara Buck, shortly after she and Lucas had married, Ben asked;

"How's Dara doing?"

Glancing at him as he reached for the ring of keys to the holding cells, Lucas offered;

"She's fine, she's didn't lose the baby and she's at home in the bed resting."

Motioning to the doorway that led to the holding cells, he demanded;

"Is he downstairs in holding?"

Although he knew he might well be treading on dangerous ground, Ben hesitantly speculated;

"Lucas, maybe you shouldn't go down there, I mean, don't you think that you're too personally involved?"

Ben couldn't help but shiver at the intensity of the cold, malicious glare that Lucas wore as he turned to address him, making him instantly regret having ventured his opinion;

"Ben, so far, that bastard has sent my wife a tarantula for her birthday, tried to throw her in the path of an oncoming car, managed to release an eight foot python in our house with my family there on Christmas day. And now, to top it off, the night before last, not only did he hit her, but he almost caused her to lose our unborn child. So, no, I don't think that I'm too 'personally' involved; I KNOW that I'm personally involved."

At that, he snatched the keys from the hook before making his way to the holding cells. Shaking his head, Ben found himself hoping that whatever Lucas had in mind, that he would just make it easy to clean up.

Sitting in his holding cell, trying to ease the bruising on his face with a cool cloth, Garrett Darvin was contemplating the events that led to his current incarceration. Although it had proven physically painful, it had almost been worth the pain, if he could only find some way to keep that little bitch that his brother was married to from interfering, especially when he had Lucas just where he wanted them. Unfortunately, Dara was a double edged sword where Garrett was concerned; he needed her presence to trigger his brother's temper so that he could accomplish his goal, but, given her ability to calm her husband's temper, her presence was also a liability to what he was trying to accomplish. Sensing that he was no longer alone, he glanced up to find Lucas studying him intently, his eyes narrowed in speculation. Motioning to his bruised face, Garrett advised in a sarcastic tone;

"You do know that this could well be considered excessive force; right?"

Glaring at him icily, Lucas retorted;

"As opposed to you hitting my wife and causing her to hit the corner of a table with her stomach, when she's more than six months pregnant; something that also put our unborn child in danger? Oh, by the way, for your information, she didn't lose the baby."

Smirking, Garrett huffed;

"I'm sure you can imagine my happiness for you."

Shaking his head at the man's gall, Lucas tossed a paper through the bars of the cell to land next to Garrett on the cot. Picking the document up, Garrett turned it over in his hands in curiosity, without reading it, before glancing up to demand;

"So just what is this supposed to be; a love letter from the lovely Mrs. Buck?"

Nodding towards the document, Lucas informed him;

"It's a retraining order to keep you away from my wife and kids. If you come within one thousand feet of them, you become a guest at Fulton County jail."

Smirking sarcastically, Garrett taunted;

"I guess that you're losing your touch in your old age, huh? I mean resorting to a restraining order when, from what I understand, you used to be much more resourceful and creative than that."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Lucas simply shook his head;

"You can keep trying, but it's not going to work anymore; I know what you're up to. You might have read a few chapters, but I own the whole book; remember?"

Rising from the cot, Garrett approached the bars to lean negligently against them as he grinned maniacally before demanding;

"So tell me, big brother, what's your game plan now? I mean you can't keep me in here indefinitely, but, you also can't really afford to let me out of here because you just can't take the risk of having me anywhere near that pretty little wife of yours. And let's face it, we both know that restraining order is nothing but a piece of paper with some fancy words and signatures on it. I would imagine that, especially in her condition, which I'm sure if quite precarious after the episode at the restaurant, keeping me away from her is on the top of your list of priorities right now; so tell me, what are you going to do?"

Offering his own humorless chuckle, Lucas smirked as he replied sarcastically;

"Since you seem to be so intelligent and the one with all the answers and knowledge; why don't you tell me."

Turning, he stalked off to leave Garrett pondering just what Lucas did have in mind.

After two more days of being confined to bed, Dara found her patience at an end and surprised her grandmother in law by, not only standing in the doorway of the kitchen, but by also being fully dressed. Shaking her head as she turned to put her hands on her hips, Lucilla admonished;

"Dara, child, what are you doing out of bed? Now you know what Dr. Matt said and you know that if Lucas sees you up that he will have an absolute fit."

Shrugging carelessly as she lowered herself into a chair, Dara suggested;

"Mama, you let me worry about Lucas. As far as me being out of bed; Matt told me that, if I felt better and I wasn't having any kind of pain, I could get up as long as I took it easy and made sure to rest."

Unable to remain strict with the younger woman, Lucilla just offered her a motherly smile as she advised;

"Well, if you're sure you feel well enough to be up, then alright. But, if you start to feel bad then you go straight back to bed; you hear?"

Nodding as she made a crossing motion over her heart, Dara vowed;

"I promise, Mama. Now, what's for supper?"

Realizing her need to feel useful, Lucilla handed her a bowl filled with potatoes as well as the peeler before suggesting;

"Well, if you peel these then it'll be mashed potatoes to go with the roast in the oven."

Offering an amused laugh, something that Lucilla found herself glad to hear after what the girl had been through during the past week, Dara was more than happy to oblige, especially since it allowed her the opportunity to feel productive once more. Before she could offer a response, Caleb and Trina rushed through the back door of the kitchen, laughing at Caleb's latest attempt to teach Trina how to drive as she vowed;

"I mean it, Caleb, I'm not learning on that car, it's way too fast for me."

Stopping short at the sight of Dara sitting at the table, peeling potatoes and having acquired his father's habit for directness, Caleb demanded, the concern obvious in his voice;

"Mama, what are you doing out of bed? You know that if Dad sees you up he's going to have a fit."

Sighing in frustration as her son's chastisement, Dara turned to her son, a look of firm resolve on her features as she explained;

"Caleb, I have spent most of my pregnancy cooped up in bed; now, I'm feeling perfectly fine and, unless, I begin to feel unwell, I am not going to go back to my bedroom until it's time for bed tonight."

Knowing his mother's stubborn nature, Caleb could only shake his head, although he couldn't contain the smile that found it's way to his lips at the realization that the personality he had come to treasure in his mother had returned. Hearing the front door open and the rush of small legs running up the hallway towards the entrance as the younger children hurried to greet their father as they yelled excitedly;

"DADDY!"

Dara turned and smiled when she saw her husband enter the kitchen in the old routine of having Alex on his back with Riesa and Rinie in his arms. Seeing his wife sitting at the table, Lucas demanded, the anxiety evident in his tone;

"Young lady, what are you doing out of bed?"

Sighing in frustration over the idea of having to offer the same argument for the third time in a row, Dara found herself turning to Mama Lucy to offer her look of sincere gratitude when she interceded;

"Leave her alone, boy, she seems to be feeling much better and I'm sure that she's got to be tired of being cooped upstairs in bed."

Motioning for Caleb to lift Alex from his back, he set Riesa and Rinie back down to the floor before instructing them to go watch TV. After he was certain that they were out of earshot, Lucas turned to his wife as he lowered himself on his heels to ask her tenderly;

"Darlin, do you REALLY feel better, or are you just saying that?"

Placing her hand on his cheek, Dara offered him a loving smile as she nodded;

"Lucas, love, I really do feel better, I promise. I'm not having any pain in either my back or in my stomach and, other than just being a little bit tired, I'm perfectly fine."

Seeing the sincerity in her face, Lucas placed a kiss on her cheek as he rose before reaching into his pocket to hand her some brochures. Puzzled, Dara demanded;

"What are these for?"

Accepting a cup of coffee from his grandmother before taking his seat, Lucas motioned for Trina to take the bowl and finish with the potatoes so that Dara could look at the pamphlets as he explained;

"Those are some brochures for some of the better pre-schools for the kids, like we discussed."

Seeing the pleading look in her eyes as she looked into his, Lucas knew that she still wasn't comfortable with the idea, despite their conversation on the subject. Timidly, the asked;

"How long do we have before we have to make a decision?"

Shrugging, Lucas speculated;

"Well, I know that it would be rather late, but I thought that we would enroll them in nursery school to get them used to socializing with other kids. That way, they'll be better adapted when they begin in earnest, not to mention giving you a break before the baby is born."

Lucas, could sense her uncertainty as she remained silent, but realizing that there was more bothering her than just the idea of the kids beginning pre-school, Lucas asked;

"Darlin, is there something else on your mind?"

Nodding, she demanded in a soft and quiet tone;

"Lucas, what about Garrett Darvin? I really don't like the idea of letting the kids out of our sight, at least not until he totally leaves us alone. And especially not after the other day."

Although he knew that placing the kids in pre-school was a good idea, given his wife's condition, Lucas knew that her point of view was definitely valid. Given the fact that the assault charges that Garrett Darvin had tried to press against Lucas outweighed the charges that Lucas wanted lodged against him, and since Dara had to be the one to formally charge him with assault, Lucas found his hand forced. Having learned that if she pursued filing the charges against the man and what the repercussions could be against her husband, Dara had agreed to dismiss them. The fact was that Lucas was going to have to release the man in the next two days, even had Dara pursued the charges, Garrett still would have gotten out of custody before Lucas, a situation that would have found Dara and the children left to the man's mercy. Realizing that she had a point, Lucas offered;

"Would it put your mind at ease if we kept the kids home and near us until this is all settled?"

Nodding solemnly Dara pleaded in a quiet voice;

"Please."

Wanting to keep her as calm as possible and, truth be told after the latest episode, Lucas agreed, preferring the idea of their children staying close to home until things were settled as well. The topic at hand was interrupted as Trina rose from her chair to take the bowl of potatoes to the sink to rinse them, reminding them that they were not alone. Breaking the tension, Dara turned to the girl to suggest;

"Would you like to eat supper with us, Trina?"

Nodding eagerly, Trina laughed;

"I never thought you'd offer."

Unable to keep from laughing, Dara pushed herself up from the table to help set the table for supper, glad to be able to enjoy this temporary lull in the storm.

Once the the younger children had been settled into their beds with a story from their father and a lullaby from their mother; a ritual that they had come to miss dearly but never uttered a complaint due to their concern over their mother's illness, Lucas and Dara settled for the night in their own room. Studying her husband intently as he emerged from the bathroom after his shower, Dara smiled mischievously as she ventured;

"You do realize that I didn't get my usual anniversary gift, right?"

Glancing at her from under the towel that he was using to dry his damp hair, Lucas demanded;

"And just what 'gift' would that be, darlin?"

Her smile turning to one of seductive invitation as she raised a delicately arched eyebrow, Dara challenged;

"Guess."

The uncertainty showing in his face as he eyed her critically;

"Sweetheart, are you sure that you feel up to it?"

Rising from the bed, Dara offered him a look of sarcastic humor, she approached him and began lightly running feathery touches across his broad chest with her small hands, leaving trails of heat in the wake of where her fingers touched his skin before speculating;

"I think, my darling heart, that the question should really be whether or not you're up to it?"

When Lucas took hold of both of her upper arms in his hands to gently pull her closer, Dara could feel his reply to her inquiry pressing against her swollen abdomen as she glanced down before her head snapped up to look into his face as she blushed before venturing;

"I see that you are."

Lucas couldn't help but laugh as he pushed her gown down her arms to let it fall to the floor in a silken puddle as he released the towel that he had wrapped around his waist as he reminded her;

"Just remember, darlin, you asked for it."

Taking her in his arms, he took possession of her mouth before lifting her in his arms and laying her on the bed. Turning serious for a moment, he ordered;

"Dara, sweetheart, if you feel any pain or anything that doesn't seem normal, I want you to tell me immediately. Do you understand me?"

Offering a solemn nod she made a crossing motion over her chest before vowing;

"I cross my heart, love."

With that, he began trailing kisses from her ear down the side of her throat before following the path down her body. Losing themselves in each other, both were grateful to realize that, even after the years of marriage and the children that they now shared, they never lost the magic interweaving of both body and spirit intermingled with the love that they had always had. Both satisfied in the afterglow of their lovemaking, Lucas lay with his arms wrapped around his wife, who was resting her head on her husband's chest. Broaching the subject that he had been dreading since his realization of the necessity of it, Lucas sat up to reach into the bedside table drawer and bring out a small package. Dara couldn't help but smile as she noticed the package in her husband's grasp as he placed it in her hands before asking jokingly;

"Honey, don't tell me that you got me another piece of jewelry. You know, I think that you've given me more jewelry then Tiffany's and Cartier's combined."

Shaking his head, a look of deadly seriousness on his features, Lucas offered stoically;

"Darlin, it's not a piece of jewelry."

The uncertainty evident on her face, Dara sat up as she pushed her long hair over her shoulder before she opened the small, heavy package. Staring at the contents, she slowly raised her head to look into her husband's eyes before pleading in a quiet tone of voice;

"Please, tell me that this is just a joke."

Lucas couldn't help but sigh, he had known when he purchased the gun that it was going to be an argument for her to agree, but, he also knew that it was a necessity given the situation that they were dealing with. Offering his logic, he tried to reason with her;

"No, baby, it's not a joke. Look, I have to let him out the day after tomorrow and I'm not about to let him get another chance at you or at our kids. However, this is very important, whatever you do, if you have to kill him, do your best to make certain that the kids are no where around, if it's at all possible."

Confusion and curiosity in her eyes, Dara questioned;

"Not that I want them to see something like that, but what is it so imperative that they not be around?"

His face a mask a seriousness, Lucas answered her directly;

"Because I think that he's able to transfer his spirit into someone else. But in his case I think that it has to be a child."

Unable to prevent the look of shock she wore as she stared at him, Dara couldn't help but ask;

"Why just a child?"

Although he wasn't quite certain if that was indeed the case, based on his own experiences, Lucas had theorized about the possibilities of why Garrett Darvin seemed so intent on pushing the limits of Lucas' own temper and the only conclusion he had come to was that, perhaps, his half brother might possess that same capability, although not to the extent of strength that Lucas did. His look remaining one of neutrality, Lucas theorized;

"Because a child's spirit is fragile, they haven't taken root yet so they can easily be displaced."

Dara's eyes widened in utter disbelief as she simply stared at him before demanding;

"Lucas, you do realize just how insane this all sounds, don't you?"

Raising one eyebrow in question, Lucas replied in a slightly sarcastic tone;

"As I seem to recall, darlin, there were quiet a number of things that you considered insane when we first married, but you now seem to find acceptable."

Glancing back down at the firearm lying in the box, Dara shook her head as she stated in uncertainty;

"Lucas, I just don't know. You know how I feel about a gun and you're expecting me to carry one, but what about you?"

Leaning over to reach into the bedside table drawer, Lucas pulled out the pistol that was his standard issue sidearm that he had never seen a need to carry, at least until now. Turning to his wife, he demanded;

"Does that answer your question? Look, sweetheart, this is just until this is over with, I'd feel better knowing that you have some personal protection, just in case. Tomorrow, I'll take you to the department firing range and let you practice, and before you try telling me that you don't know how to use it, don't bother. I know that your grandfather taught you how to use a gun and how to shoot when you lived with he and your grandmother."

Looking at the gun once more, Dara realized that this piece of metal might well be all that stood between she or her children or her husband and death. Nodding, she lifted her eyes to look into Lucas' as she capitulated;

"Alright, I won't give you an argument about it."

Lucas let a breath of relief escape at her acceptance as he took both guns to place them in the back of their closet, well out of reach of their small children. Climbing back into the bed and pulling her close against him, he wasn't surprised when she stated;

"I still can't say that I like the idea of having a gun, but I do see the necessity of it."

Kissing her still bruised cheek gently, he offered;

"I know you don't sweetheart, but it's just until we get past this."

Glancing over her shoulder she cast him a skeptical glance filled with frustration as she demanded;

"Tell me something, Lucas, will we ever 'get over this', or is he just going to keep haunting us until the day that, either, we or he dies?"

With that she settled herself to drift off to sleep, leaving Lucas to ponder her statement.

Lucas had no doubts as to the fact that she would be proficient with a firearm, especially given that her parents and sisters had all boasted to him in the past that she was very capable when it came to using a gun, however, he wasn't prepared for the level of proficiency that she demonstrated. Although she made no bones about the fact that she didn't even care to touch the gun, once it was in her hand she focused all of her attention on the task at hand and out of the ten targets that she had used, she had hit in or around the center of the target on nine of the targets, having only missed the circle on the first target by no more than an inch, if that much. Despite the fact that she was reluctant to use a firearm, Lucas couldn't help but notice that she was proud of her proficiency in using one. Shaking his head in amazement as he studied her targets, he couldn't help but observe sarcastically;

"Darlin, I do believe that there is definitely something that you've neglected to tell me about your various 'talents', not to mention I can tell that you're proud of how well you did."

Crossing her arms over her chest, Dara shook her head as she declared in utter seriousness;

"Well this particular 'talent' isn't one that I planned to ever have a need for. And as far as 'being proud', no, my love, pride isn't what you're seeing, what you're seeing is that I'm relieved to know that I can still handle a gun. Despite what you think and my ambivalence about this, I'm quite aware, given how far he's pushed the boundaries so far, that it may well come to a point where it's down to either him or us and that piece of metal you're holding may well be deciding factor and if that's the case I want it to be in our favor."

Having finished servicing the gun, Lucas placed it in its case and zipped it up before turning to pull her close to him as he lamented;

"I know, love, and I hate that you have to need it now, but you do, so we just have to make the best of it and be grateful for the fact that you're as good with it as you are."

Sighing, Dara nodded her agreement.


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER 10**

It had been more than a month since Lucas had reluctantly released Garrett Darvin from holding, having vowed;

"This is the final time that I'm going to warn you; if you so much as even think of looking at my wife the wrong way I won't hesitate to break your neck. Stay away from her, our children and our house."

The weather had turned warm for March and, although Lucas and Dara were aware of the threat that Garrett still posed to their family, they allowed the children the opportunity to play in the backyard and in the garden. Although she still suffered from occasional exhaustion, Dara, who was more than eight months into her pregnancy, found that her condition was nowhere as severe as it had previously been, something she was grateful for since it afforded her the opportunity to enjoy the spring weather. Considering how pleasant the day seemed to be, with the sunshine and cool breezes that were blowing, she had decided to venture outside to keep Rinie company.

Riesa and Alex had decided that they preferred watching their cartoons, while Rinie chose to remain outside, sitting in the canopied swing, coloring and drawing pictures. Dara found that she was enjoying sitting with her daughter as the little girl eagerly showed off her artwork, when she heard the squeak of the back gate as Rinie, having heard the same thing, turned to her mother to ask eagerly;

"Mommy, do you think that might be Daddy?"

Glancing at her wristwatch and realizing that it was still a little early for her husband to arrive home, not to mention the fact that he usually used the front door, Dara shook her head as she struggled to push herself up from the swing as she ventured;

"I don't think so, angel, it's still a little early for Daddy ye..."

Looking past the back porch Dara suddenly understood why she had heard the gate open, as well as the realization of just how her keys had become scattered during her encounter with Garrett Darvin just before Christmas. Standing about ten feet past the other side of the back porch was the most vicious looking mongrel dog that she had ever seen, and, even in her extreme condition the animal was easily bigger than she was. Dara, trying to remain calm, especially for her daughter's sake, swallowed back her panic as the beast began growling as it bared its teeth at her.

Not having seen the dog as of yet, Rinie was about to jump down to run towards the porch steps when Dara, realizing her intentions, placed her hand on her daughter's shoulder to stop her. Keeping her voice as steady and calm as possible, Dara instructed her daughter;

"Rinie, I want you to sit right where you're at, I need you to listen to me very carefully. Someone has let a very mean dog in the yard so it's important that you stay calm."

Although she could see the fear in the little girl's eyes, Dara could also see that she was remaining calm, something she attributed to her daughter's faith in her ability to get them out of their current situation. Contemplating her options, Dara was about to call out in the hopes that Mama Lucy would be in the kitchen and hear her, however, she noticed the animal take a step forward to snarl even more menacingly as if it had anticipated Dara's intentions. Biting at her bottom lip, she rethought her situation and came to the realization that her choice was limited; either she or her child were going to be attacked. Making her decision, Dara prayed that she would be able to, at least, protect her unborn child as she instructed her daughter to slowly stand on the seat of the swing; then, judging the distance as the swing was located next to the high porch, she asked;

"Rinie, baby, do you think that, if you get up on the canopy of the swing, you can jump onto the porch and run into the house?"

Nodding, Rinie sheepishly confessed;

"I know I can, Mommy. Me, Riesa and Alex do it all the time."

Grateful that her children's adventurous nature was paying off, at least in this instance, Dara nodded as she explained;

"Alright, baby, what I want you to do is to, slowly, get up on the bar and then on the canopy, but I want you to kneel down until you see the dog chasing me. Then, when it's away from the porch I want you jump on the porch and run inside and tell Mama Lucy to get help. Can you do that for me, baby?"

Rinie's eyes widened in fear as she pointed out;

"But, Mommy, you can't run that fast and that dog might hurt you or the baby."

Dara knew that, unless Rinie was sure she would be safe as well, she wouldn't cooperate. Unsure of that outcome herself, she chose to offer a lie to put the little girl's mind at ease;

"Baby, I promise you that it's alright. I can make it to my car until someone comes to help me; okay?"

Reluctantly, Rinie nodded as she began to slowly climb to the top of the canopy as the mongrel advanced in its approach while still growling ferociously. Satisfied that Rinie was in position, Dara took the rake handle that the children had been playing with earlier and left propped against the swing within her reach. Although she could see that her child was still uncertain, Dara demanded;

"Are you ready, baby?"

At the little girl's nod, Dara began silently counting to five before she sprinted away from the porch, with the dog giving chase as she had been certain would be the case. Once she was sure the dog was far enough away, she yelled;

"GO RINIE!"

Casting a brief glance over her shoulder, she felt infinite relief as she heard the back door slam, indicating that her child was now safe. Focusing her attention on her own situation at hand, Dara saw her chance to get to safety and was about to take it when she felt her foot slip into an unseen hole, which threw her off balance and slowed her down, something that allowed the mongrel the chance to launch itself at her. Feeling the force at her back, Dara managed to twist around so that she landed on her back rather than her stomach, however, she found herself unable to pick herself up as the huge beast pinned her to the ground by placing its hind paws on her legs and its front paws on either side of her body.

Having managed to clutch the rake handle in her hand as she fell, Dara quickly held it up as a barrier between herself and the beast who was now snapping and snarling at her in an attempt to sink its teeth into her. She could feel her strength draining away and knew that she wasn't going to be able to keep the beast from tearing her throat out much longer when the animal placed a hind paw in the lower part of her abdomen, causing her to scream in pain as well as induce her labor. As she felt the onset of the first pain and realized that she was about to lose the strength in her arms she saw a shovel make contact with the animal's head, sending it flying at least five or more feet away from her. Turning her head, she could see the animal struggling to its feet, even more determined than before. Dara couldn't help but scream as she covered her ears when she heard the explosion of gunfire that sent at least five bullets into the animal, ending its life.

Dropping the gun, Lucas quickly knelt beside her as he grabbed her wrists to pry her hands away from her ears as he stated;

"Dara, baby, it's alright. That thing is dead and it can't come after you or the kids again, come on, baby, look at me."

Looking at him in uncertainty, Dara closed her eyes as she breathed a sigh of relief before she wrapped her arms around his neck in gratefulness. However, when the next pain hit, reminding her of the damage that the animal had done, Lucas found himself looking at her in alarm as she pulled away before grabbing her stomach as she doubled over in pain. Remembering the scream that he had heard earlier as he hurried to her rescue and noticing the smudge of dirt on the front of her dress, he understood the reason for her pain. Slipping his arms under her, he lifted her in his arms and realized that blood was quickly staining the lower half of her dress. Having seen what had taken place, Mama Lucy hurried towards them as she noticed Lucas' indecision as to which way he needed to go. Taking charge, she ordered;

"Take her upstairs and put her in the bed."

His eyes widening as he stared at the old woman, Lucas demanded in disbelief;

"Mama, are you insane? We've got to get her to the hospital."

Shaking her head vehemently, Lucilla rushed to explain;

"NO! You have to get her upstairs and into bed. Lucas, she's hemorrhaging because she's about to deliver and if you put her in that car, you'll kill her because she'll bleed to death before you get her to the hospital."

Realizing the truth of her statement as well as the fact that his wife was becoming somewhat delirious due to the pain she was enduring, he rushed to do as told as he hurried inside and up the stairs. Lucilla, hurrying behind him, took the time to let Matt and Loris Crower, who had been persistently knocking, in the house as Loris took charge of the three younger children while Matt and Lucilla hurried upstairs to Dara and Lucas' bedroom as Lucas was settling Dara on the bed. Matt, seeing the increasing bloodstain and the obvious agony that Dara was enduring, quickly ordered;

"Get me some towels and some sheets."

Turning to Lucas he motioned to Dara as he ordered;

"Get her out of that dress, it's filthy, and put a loose gown on her."

As he hurried to comply with Matt's dictates, Lucas questioned;

"Should we take her to the hospital?

Shaking his head, Matt explained;

"No, there isn't time and she doesn't need to deliver en route. No, we're going to have to deliver the baby here."

Taking the sheets from Lucilla and with her help he slipped one underneath Dara's hips as well as positioning her legs to drape the other sheet over her as he took the towels and began pressing them to her in an attempt to absorb the blood that insisted on flowing. Glancing at Dara he explained;

"Alright, hun, we've about got this under control but you're going to have to help me here. We're going to have to deliver this baby and fast, so I need you to get ready to push, alright?"

Despite the pain racking her body, Dara rolled her eyes as she gritted out between her clenched teeth;

"Once, just once, I would like a normal delivery in a nice sterile hospital with a big shot of Demerol once the baby arrives."

Although the situation was definitely one for seriousness, Matt couldn't help but shake his head in veiled amusement of her statement as he sympathized;

"I know, sweetie, I know. But, since we're not at the hospital we have to work with what we have. Now, Lucas is going to push up on your pillows to help you, so on the count of three, I want you to push until I tell you to stop. Alright, One, two, three, PUSH!"

Putting everything she had into pushing her child into the world, Dara concentrated until Matt told her to stop. 

"Alright, that's good, Dara. Now, we're almost there so I need you to push really hard and fast on this one; do you think t hat you can do that?"

Nodding as she positioned herself to push once more, Dara concentrated on the task at hand as Matt instructed;

"Alright, PUSH!"

When Matt motioned for her to stop, Dara fell back against the pillows, drained and tired from the exertion and excruciating pain of giving birth. Seeing how quickly her strength was fading, Matt motioned for Lucilla to position herself over Dara's stomach as Matt explained;

"Alright, Dara, I think that one more good push should do it since we're at the shoulders. But, we've got to hurry because there's a serious tear in the placental sac, which is where all the bleeding is coming from. I know that you're getting tired, so this time Lucilla is going to push on your stomach to help you along, alright?"

Nodding her understanding, Dara begged;

"Please, hurry, I don't think that I can hold out for much longer."

Matt could only offer a brief nod, all to aware of just how weak and exhausted she was quickly becoming as Lucas, studying her tear stained face, reached to hold her hand tightly as he suggested;

" A good healthy yell or scream isn't going to hurt anything and it just might help."

Thrashing her head from side to side, Dara was determined not to give in to the pain as Matt instructed;

"Alright, ready? Now, on the count of three, you push, Lucilla you push and Lucas you brace her back. One, two, three; PUSH!"

As everyone tended to their assigned tasks, although she had refused to give in to the pain earlier and refused her husband's suggestion that she take the opportunity to release her frustration over the pain and torment that she was enduring, no one was shocked when she finally screamed just before they heard a tiny wail coming from the tiny body that Matt now held in his hands. Deftly, Matt cut the umbilical cord before handing the baby to Lucilla to clean and wrap in a warm blanket before he went back to working on Dara. Finally, he nodded, satisfied that the bleeding was now stopped and that, both, mother and child were going to be just fine. Letting out a heavy sigh of relief, he looked up at Dara, a smile on his face as he advised her;

"Well, you're three for two; you've got another daughter."

Despite her earlier predicament, Dara couldn't help but smile in triumph as her eyes widened in joy as she held her arms our eagerly for her child. Lucilla, who was wiping tears from her eyes, laid the baby in her mother's arms before offering a motherly look of pride as she touched her granddaughter in law's cheek to praise;

"You did good, child."

His arm still around his wife's shoulders, Lucas studied his daughter and couldn't help but marvel at the swell he felt inside his chest as Dara smiled at the tiny bundle before pulling the corner of the blanket back slightly as she observed;

"I can't say that you gave Mommy the easiest time in the world Little One, but I can definitely say that you were well worth whatever it took to bring you into it."

Offering the infant his finger, Lucas couldn't help but offer a chuckle of amazed amusement as she tried to wrap her tiny fist around it, only to come up short about halfway around her father's index finger. Turning to his wife, he offered;

"Well, we definitely know which one of us she takes after in the size department; don't we?"

Pulling her a little closer as she turned to look into his face, Lucas placed a gentle kiss on her lips before placing a kiss on her forehead as he offered;

"You did great, sweetheart. She's beautiful, just like her mama."

Turning to Matt and Lucilla, he demanded;

"By the way, just how did you get here so fast, Harvard?"

Speaking up, Lucilla explained;

"I called him, when Rinie ran in to tell me that a mean dog was chasing Dara, I tried calling you at the station but Ben said that you had already left so I called Dr. Matt because, given the size of that thing, I figured that she was going to need some medical attention. I was just about to go after that monster myself when you showed up."

Her own curiosity heightened, Dara glanced to her husband as she pondered;

"Since we're on the subject, just exactly why did YOU come home so early?"

Shrugging, Lucas offered;

"I thought that since there was nothing going on at the station and all of my paperwork was done that I would leave early. Considering what I found when I got here I'm damn glad that I did."

Nodding as she smiled weakly, Dara agreed;

"So am I."

Returning her smile before his features hardened, Lucas turned serious as he questioned aloud;

"I wonder just who we have to thank for our unwanted guest, as if I didn't already know."

Locking eyes with her husband, her own filled with her silent plea, Dara glanced back down to the baby in her arms before lifting her eyes back to her husband, silently begging that he not allow Garrett Darvin to intrude on such a wondrous moment in their lives, such as the miracle of their child's safe birth. Understanding the look in her eyes, Lucas offered a silent nod before turning to Crower to address more practical matters;

"Shouldn't we consider getting them to the hospital so that you can check them over and make sure that they're stable and that they'll be fine?"

Agreeing, Matt ventured;

"Yes, just let me call ahead and make arrangements for a room for Dara."

Lucilla, deciding to follow Matt's example, announced;

"I guess that I better go downstairs and let the kids and Loris know that Dara and the baby are both okay."

Hurrying from the room, she pulled the door closed behind her to leave Lucas and Dara in privacy. Once the door was closed, Lucas glanced down at his wife as he held, both, she and their daughter closer to shake his head before lamenting;

"Darlin, I'm sorry. I feel like I've let you down, if I hadn't of come home when I did.."

Cutting off the remainder of his statement, Dara grabbed his hand as she shook her head before pleading;

"Honey, don't think about what could have happened, just be grateful for what is."

Before she could say anything more, Matt hurried into the room to advise them;

"I've got all the arrangements made, but I do think that it would probably be better and more comfortable to take them to the hospital by car."

Nodding his understanding and his agreement, Lucas made his way to the closet to grab Dara's robe as Lucilla returned to take the baby as Lucas helped Dara into her robe. She was about to rise from the bed when Lucas shook his head before chastising;

"I don't think so, young lady."

Lifting her in his arms, Lucas couldn't help but observe;

"You are definitely hard headed, you just had a baby so the last thing that you need to do is try to walk, let alone go downstairs."

Making his way down the staircase he noticed that their children, Trina and Caleb were all waiting at the bottom to assure themselves that Dara and the new baby were going to be fine. Shaking her head in amazement, Trina turned to Caleb to state, rather than ask;

"Things do tend to happen rather fast in this family, don't they."

Two hours after she had given birth, Lucas found himself standing in front of the waiting room window of the hospital, waiting for the results of his wife and daughter's examinations. He didn't realize just how preoccupied he had been with his own thoughts until he found himself surprised to see Matt's reflection in the glass of the window staring back at him. Spinning around, his own face a mirror of worry and concern, Lucas demanded;

"How are they, are they alright?"

Leaning against the wall as he crossed his arms over his chest, Matt offered his findings;

"As far as your daughter goes, she's fine; she's perfectly formed and she's breathing with no problems. But, given how precarious her delivery was, I've put her in an incubator for tonight though, just to be on the safe side. As far as your wife goes, Dara seems to be fine as well, although she lost some blood. Apparently, that 'thing' kicked her in her stomach and that's what started her labor, but I've made sure she's stable and there's no bleeding now. She does have a bad bruise on her stomach and some ugly scratches so I gave her a tetanus shot to be safe. Before you ask me, once she recovers if you and she decide that's what you want to do she can have another baby; but, I would make sure that you remove that rather dangerous obstacle in your lives right now, otherwise known as your brother. She's had a really hard time thanks to him and, my professional opinion, I don't think that she could go through another pregnancy dealing with what she has thanks to that bastard. Let's be honest, she almost didn't make it through this one."

Lucas blanched at his words, knowing that Matt was right and knowing just how lucky he was that his wife and child were doing as well as they were, especially given what Dara had been made to suffer thanks to Garrett Darvin. Turning to Matt, he nodded as he agreed;

"I know you're right, Harvard and you know the last thing that I would ever want would be to see my wife or kids in harms way. I've been trying to keep him away from them but short of killing him, I can't get rid of him."

Pinning Lucas with his eyes, Matt leveled;

"Are you sure that there's nothing you can do to get rid of him?"

His eyes widening as he closed the space between them, Lucas demanded in an incredulous tone;

"Harvard, do you have any idea what you're asking? I almost lost my wife once because of that and I'm not going to take that chance again; I made a promise to her and I intend to keep it."

Taking Lucas by the arm, Matt led him to a more secluded area of the waiting room as he lowered his own voice;

"Look, I get what you're saying; truly I do. However, we're not talking about you manipulating, causing problems or interfering in people's lives here. What we're talking about is the fact that there is someone or something threatening your family, especially your wife. Now, I get that you made a promise to Dara and why, but we're not talking about you flagrantly disregarding your promise, we're talking about protecting your wife and kids."

The weight of Matt's words sink in to Lucas' thoughts, he turned to the man to venture;

"You're right, I may well have no choice but to break my word to her; I just hope that she'll understand and forgive me if I do."

Motioning to towards the hallway, Lucas asked;

"Can I see her now?"

Nodding, Matt led the way down the hallway before stopping in front of Dara's room to explain;

"I gave her something to help with the pain, so she probably isn't going to be awake for much longer. Considering just how exhausted she was, I'm amazed she's managed to keep her eyes open this long. I'm assuming that you're staying for the night?"

At Lucas' silent nod, Matt instructed;

"Okay, that being the case, I'm going to leave orders for her not to be disturbed so she can get some rest. Since you're going to be here I know that, if she needs anything, you'll ring for the nurse."

Turning, he made his way back down the hallway as Lucas opened the door. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he thought that she was already asleep, especially given that her eyes were closed and her face was relaxed in sleep. He couldn't help but notice just how pale she was in contrast to the dark auburn of her hair as he gently pushed a stray wisp back from her forehead and found himself surprised when her eyes opened before she offered him a weak smile as she demanded;

"I only delivered three weeks early this time, aren't you proud of me?"

He couldn't help but shake his head in amazement by the fact that, after what she had been through, her humor was still intact. One of the things that Lucas has quickly realized about about Dara, even before she became his wife, was the fact that, no matter how grim things looked, she always seemed to manage to find the lighter side of the situation. Leaning over to kiss her tenderly, he placed his hand along her cheek as he confessed;

"Darlin, no matter the situation, I'm always proud of you. How are you feeling?"

Taking his hand in her own, she shrugged as she laced her fingers through his;

"Very, very tired, weak and sore."

Nodding his understanding, Lucas explained;

"Well, Crower said that he gave you something for the pain and that it would, more than likely, knock you out for a while."

Sighing her acknowledgment as she narrowed her gaze, she pinned him with her eyes as she demanded;

"What about the baby, how is she, is she alright?"

Lucas couldn't contain the smile that found its way to his lips, happy to be able to finally tell her something positive;

"The baby is just fine. She's in the incubator, but just as a precaution and just for tonight to be on the safe side. Matt said that she's fully formed and breathing just fine on her own."

Nodding, Dara closed her eyes before drifting off to sleep as Lucas pulled a chair next to her bed to study her as she slept, determined not to leave her side. Waking with a start as he felt a hand touch his shoulder, Lucas sat up, uncertain of his surroundings at first until his eyes fell on his wife, sleeping, in her hospital bed. Glancing up into his eldest son's face, he relaxed considerable as he stretched to work the kinks from his back and legs from having fallen asleep in the chair. As his father was gathering his bearings, Caleb motioned towards the bed as he asked;

"How is she?"

Ensuring that Dara was still sleeping, Lucas motioned for Caleb to join him as he stepped into the hallway to pull the door to his wife's hospital room closed to avoid disturbing her rest. Turning to his son, he apprised Caleb of the situation up to that point;

"Dr. Matt said that she lost some blood and that she has a lot of scratches on her stomach so he gave her a tetanus shot, but, no bite marks. She also has a nasty bruise on her stomach, the dog stepped on her stomach and that's what induced her labor. She'll be tired, weak and sore for some time yet, but, aside from that, Matt said she's going to be fine."

Lucas couldn't help but realize, by the evident relief in his son's eyes, just how much love and affection the boy had for the woman that he considered to be his mother. Seeing the look of relief turn to one of heated anger, Lucas was fairly certain as to the next bit of news as Caleb advised him;

"I had to get a credit card from Mama's purse but I called the locksmith after you left; he changed every lock that requires a key and they're all marked."

Reaching into his pocket, Caleb handed his father the assortment of keys to the new locks as he continued;

"I had him put double deadbolts on the doors to the house and, just in case, I had him re-key all the cars but yours."

Nodding as he took the pieces of metal, Lucas realized;

"I'm sorry, son. I didn't think to leave you any money, I was a little preoccupied when I left."

Contemplating the dog's appearance, Lucas questioned;

"Did you get the locks on the gates changed too?"

Caleb affirmed;

"Yes, sir."

Shaking his head as he sighed heavily, Lucas complimented;

"That was a good idea about the cars and mine isn't really an issue, your mother never keeps her sit of keys to it on her ring anyway. I'm guessing that day before Christmas when her ring 'broke' he must have helped himself to her keys. By the way, did you happen to take care of the dog?"

His eyes growing wide as he remembered his conversation with animal control, Caleb nodded as he exclaimed;

"Yeah, and get this, the animal control guy said he recognized the dog and that some guy came in early this morning just as they were about to euthanize it and decided to 'adopt' it. He said that, even when they tried to explain to him just how vicious the dog was and the the previous owners had brought it in because is had attached their kids, he still insisted on taking it. And guess what the guy looked like; as tall as you, a little younger, dressed in a black duster coat with a black cowboy hat pulled low over his eyes."

Lucas couldn't help but narrow his eyes as as he stated, more to himself than Caleb;

"He had this all planned, even down to getting her keys. He was going to get, either, your mother or the kids, but my guess would be that he knew that she would put herself in danger to keep the kids safe, even in her condition."

Caleb couldn't help but put his hands on her hips, much in the manner of his father, as he agreed;

"Okay so what do we do now? Can you do anything to stop him at this point?"

Considering his son's question, Lucas ventured;

"For right now, let it go; he's going to appear to gloat sooner or later, he usually does. But right now we need to concentrate on getting your mother and the baby out of here first and then I'll deal with him. In the meantime, I think that it would be a really good idea if you and Trina stayed close to Mama Lucy and the kids. Do you think that her parents might agree to letting her stay at the house?"

Nodding, Caleb explained;

"Actually, they already have. They're leaving out of town because of something that happened with her mom's sister, she talked them into letting her stay with us so she didn't miss any school since they'll be gone for about a week or so. We were actually on our way home to ask you guys if it was okay when everything happened."

Nodding his agreement, Lucas couldn't help but notice the odd look on his son's face as he questioned;

"Is there something else on your mind, son?"

Sighing as he shook his head, Caleb asked;

"Yeah, Dad, I don't get it, why don't you just kill this guy and be done with it? I mean, he's scared the daylights out of Mama twice, come close to killing her and almost caused her to miscarry; why not just get rid of him."

Shaking his head, Lucas demanded;

"Did you and Dr. Matt happen to have some kind of conference? He, basically, said the same thing."

Seeing the inquisitive look on the boy's face, Lucas spread his hand open in a pleading manner a he appealed to his son's logic;

"Because it's not the way that your mother would want it and you know it. Not to mention the fact that there's a lot more to consider than just simply ending this man's life. Believe me, if it wasn't for the fact that there could be some serious repercussions other than just simply committing murder than I would have already slit his damn throat and been done with it, but the fact is that he can't just die and that solve the problem."

Caleb couldn't help but ponder his father's statement until he recalled and incident years before that had taken place between his father and his sister, Merly Ann's spirit. His eyes widening in shock he ventured;

"Do you mean that he could transfer his spirit like you did before?"

Nodding, Lucas explained his theory;

"Yes, but I think that it's even more dangerous where he is concerned since he's linked by blood to your brother and sisters that he would transfer his spirit into one of them. And, because they're still little and their spirits haven't exactly taken root yet it might be easy for him to do just that."

Although he found the situation aggravating, Caleb nodded his understanding as he resigned himself;

"Alright, Dad, I know that you'd do anything to protect Mama and us so I'll trust whatever you do."

Pulling his son into an uncharacteristic embrace, Lucas expressed his gratitude;

"Thank you for your confidence, son."

Embarrassed by his show of emotion, Lucas released him before turning to return to his wife's room to take up his vigil once more by her bedside.

Matt, after three days, pronounced both Dara and the baby healthy enough to return home. Once they had consulted their other children and after much debate, Lucas and Dara had agreed that the name that would suit their newest addition was Maria Simone, after Dara's grandmother and Lucas' mother. At first, Lucas had protested the idea of naming their child after his mother, especially given his bitter feelings towards the woman. However, Dara argued that, since she was a better part of what made her husband who he was, naming their child after her was totally appropriate and given that logic, won the argument. As with their other two daughters it was no surprise when it was decided that Maria was just too much for such a little bundle and that Ria was much more appropriate.

From the moment that she entered her home, Ria knew nothing but love, affection and attention from, not only, her parents but also her siblings, great grandmother and Trina as well. Lucas couldn't help but marvel as just how much Ria reminded him or Dara, already showing the promise of the dark auburn hair that her mother possessed, although there was no denying that her dark eyes had been inherited from him. As with their other children, Dara had chosen to breast feed Ria for as long as possible, however, unlike their other children, she had decided that keeping the baby in her and Lucas' bedroom as opposed to the nursery, was a better idea.

Lucas knew that her decision to keep the baby in their bedroom instead of putting her in the nursery was her way of assuring herself that their newest addition would be as protected from the threat to their family as much as possible. Rather than voicing any objections to the idea, he chose to embrace it instead, glad for the opportunity to bond with their child as he had been able to do with their their three younger children. Having missed out on the early years of Caleb's life, Lucas had made every effort to be fully involved in every aspect of the lives of the children that he and Dara had brought into the world from the very beginning. He had made certain that he had been present for every doctor's appointment possible that Dara had while pregnant as well as being present for the birth of all of their children, the only exception being Rinie's birth, who had to be delivered by emergency C-section. Even then, Lucas had been standing right outside of the operating room, waiting for Matt to deliver the news of his wife and child. When the children came home from the hospital, he had made certain to help in every aspect of their care, from feeding to changing diapers, so the idea of Ria being with them for a while didn't bother him in the least.

Lucas couldn't deny the amusement that he had felt at her attempts to justify her choice as she had offered;

"With five kids it will save us a little room for the moment if we keep Ria in our bedroom."

Shaking his head, he reminded her;

"Darlin, we have eight bedrooms in this house and considering that we just moved Alex into his own room, next to Caleb's, plus put the girls in their new bedroom together to get them out of the nursery and Mama Lucy here with us as well as the nursery, we STILL have two extra rooms. So having 'enough room' isn't exactly a problem."

Sighing in frustration, she crossed her arms over her chest as she demanded;

"You're really going to make me say it, aren't you?"

Seeing the neutral look on his face, she huffed;

"Alright, fine. I want to keep her in the room with us for a little while, okay? We came too close to losing her and until that monster is completely gone from our lives it will make me feel better to keep her close to us. There, are you happy?"

Crossing the space between them, Lucas pulled her into an embrace as he ventured;

"Sweetheart, I promise, I don't mind in the least the idea of our baby being in the room with us. But, I wanted you to be honest about YOUR reasons, at least with me."

Both Dara and Lucas had also been relieved to learn that, once she had regained her strength from the loss of blood she had suffered, her health and energy seemed to recuperate without any significant setbacks from the CFS. Part of reason for her improved health was due to the fact that Matt had prescribed regular vitamins, as well as iron pills to help deal with her deficiencies. Dara couldn't help but find herself elated when, at their six week checkup, Matt pronounced that both she and Ria were fully recovered from the birth as well as proclaiming that Ria was already following in her siblings' footsteps given that she was already holding her head upright, almost totally without additional support.

Once their checkup was finished and Dara had secured the baby in her car seat, Dara consulted her watch and, realizing that it was almost noon, decided to surprise Lucas by having lunch with him. Parking the car as close to the station as possible she got out and went around to take the stroller base from the rear of the car. Having given away most of the baby paraphernalia, with the exception of a crib and highchair, she and Lucas had replaced the remaining items with more modern items, such as a stroller that converted to a car seat and baby carrier, something that Lucas felt would be more efficient in helping Dara keep up with the new baby as well as the other three children. However, the problem was that Dara wasn't quite as adaptive with the contraption as her husband, proof of which was evident in the difficulty that she seemed to be having in connecting the car seat with the stroller frame. Finally, frustrated with her failed attempts, she simply shook her head as she looked at her daughter;

"I think that we're going to have to have a little talk with Daddy about his penchant for buying complicated gadgets that are beyond Mommy's capabilities; aren't we baby girl?"

Dara couldn't help but find herself smiling as the infant waved her small fists in response as she gurgled before offering a lopsided grin. Chuckling in amusement, she ventured;

"Let's hope that you don't give me that kind of response when you begin understanding what I'm saying to you."

Sighing in resignation, Dara took the carrier in one hand and loaded the stroller frame with the diaper bag as she took the handle in the other hand and made her way to the door of the Sheriff's office. Floyd, who was about to leave to pick up the lunch orders, saw Dara coming up the sidewalk from the office window and opening the door for her greeted;

"Well hi, Dara."

Glancing down at the small bundle in the carrier he expounded;

"And hows the newest little Buck doing today?"

Coming out of his office to hand Ben the file that he had just finished dealing with, Lucas noticed his wife standing in the doorway with Floyd inadvertently blocking it, trying to balance the baby carrier, a diaper bag and the stroller base. Quickly crossing the space to the doorway, Lucas glared at Floyd as he demanded;

"Floyd, did it ever cross your mind that she might have needed some help since her hands are obviously full?"

Glancing at his boss in puzzlement, Floyd could only shake his head as Lucas raised an eyebrow in frustration before asking sarcastically;

"Floyd, did your mother have any children that lived?"

Still not comprehending Lucas' meaning, Floyd could only stare in confusion before responding;

"Huh?"

Lucas found himself shaking his head in disbelief of just how obtuse his deputy could prove to be as he ordered;

"Floyd, never mind, just go and pick up lunch."

Despite her attempts not to do so, Dara found that she was having increasing difficulty in keeping a straight face at her husband's comment rather than laughing. Once Floyd had left Lucas turned to his wife, his aggravation disappearing as he he asked good naturedly;

"So what can I do for such a pretty lady today, especially when she's my wife?"

Casting her husband a glance of agitation, Dara demanded sarcastically;

"Well, for starters, you can show me just how this damn thing works again, I can't get the carrier to lock on to the base. Why didn't we just buy a plain old fashioned stroller?"

Taking the carrier in one hand as he held the stroller handle in the other, Lucas placed the carrier onto the base to hear the 'click' indicating that it was locked into position. Turning to his wife with one eyebrow raised in question he demanded;

"Any other questions, darlin?"

The frustration evident on her face, Dara replied sarcastically;

"Oh sure, just go ahead and make your child's mother look like a total idiot in front of her."

Both laughing as they found humor in her statement, Lucas glanced to the wall clock before suggesting;

"I'm going to assume that you two ladies have had your check ups, so why don't I buy my girls some lunch?"

Nodding as she smiled, Dara replied;

"I never thought that you'd ask."

Turning to Ben, Lucas offered;

"Ben, I'll be back around two or so. If you need me, just page me."

Taking charge of his daughter's stroller he led the way out the door.


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER 11**

Dara and Lucas found themselves enjoying their time with each other, having almost forgotten the dangerous obstacle in their lives until they heard the all too familiar voice that they had both come to despise;

"Well, I herd that there had been an addition to our happy little family."

Glancing at Dara in contempt, Garrett offered;

"I heard that you had an unfortunate 'accident' and that you had a bad time with the baby. It's nice to see that you're fully recovered."

Narrowing her gaze, Dara replied in a sarcastically sweet voice;

"Thank you for your concern, but as you can clearly see, I'm a lot stronger and a lot tougher than you give me credit for. You might just find yourself surprised at just how much I'm capable of dealing with."

Narrowing his gaze as he answered her challenge;

"Careful, sister in law dear, you may just find that one of these days you'll come up against something that you're going to be able to handle."

Allowing his gaze to slide in Lucas direction, he expounded;

"No matter who or what tries to stop it."

Dara could tell that Garrett's remark was one that was highly aggravating her husband, however, seeking to diffuse the situation, she retorted;

"You know something, Garrett? I'm sure you're right, there will be a day when that happens. However, I'm also VERY certain that you're not going to be that something."

Garrett quickly realized that, where Lucas tended to be more temperamental, Dara's temperament tended to be more logical and calm. But, also knowing the type of mother she was, he knew just what button to push as he turned his attention towards the baby. Although Ria wasn't crying her disapproval, her obvious dislike of the person expressing an interest in her was highly apparent in her fussiness. Garrett extended his hand to touch the infant when he heard Dara's voice, a deadly seriousness in her tone as she issued her warning;

"I would strongly suggest that, unless you're tired of living, you leave my child alone."

Seeing that he had gotten a rise from her, especially judging by the look of pure hatred in her eyes, Garrett pushed the issue as he smiled insolently before challenging;

"Really? I can't say that exactly worries me considering you're not even half my size. I just don't see such a tiny woman like you as being very much of a threat to me."

Having remained silent in an effort to get his anger under control, Lucas, having had more than enough of the other man's taunts and presence, glared in hatred at the younger man as he warned;

"Maybe she isn't much of a threat, but her husband is, now leave us alone."

Sensing his opportunity, Garrett turned back to his sister in law as he allowed his eyes to roam up and down her frame in an obvious leering manner as his lips curled in a lecherous smile before addressing Lucas;

"You know something, brother dear, I can definitely see why you married her and I can also understand just how you two came to get so many children. But out of curiosity, tell me something, is she as much of a hellcat in the bedroom since the kids as she was before them?"

Seeing her husband about to completely lose his temper at the man's taunt, Dara placed her hand on his arm, effectively drawing his attention. When Lucas turned and met the pleading look in his wife's eyes, he simply gave a slight nod as he took a deep, steadying breath as he noted, with satisfaction, the frustrated look he could see in Garrett's eyes as he watched the exchange. Lucas wasn't the only one finding satisfaction in Garrett's frustration over the level of communication that she and Lucas possessed, Dara found it rewarding to realize that the man's irritation came from his inability to understand that the ability she and Lucas had in their communication stemmed simply from their love and understanding of each other. Deciding that she was in the mood for a little taunting of her own, Dara rose from her chair to sling the diaper bag over her shoulder before taking the handle of the stroller as she and Lucas prepared to leave before turning to address her brother in law;

"Garrett, do you REALLY wonder what I would be like in bed?"

Uncertain that he was hearing her correctly, especially since he found himself taken off guard by the bluntness of her inquiry, he offered a seductive smile as he nodded eagerly. Leaning over the rail she placed her hand along his cheek as she placed a serene smile on her face before issuing in a seductive purr;

"Well, since that's the case, why don't you look me up when they start selling ice skates in Hell, dear, because that will be when you find out; when you're able to ice skate in Hell."

With that, she turned and left followed by Lucas, who was laughing, as were the other patrons who had overheard the interchange. Staring after her, his eyes filled with hatred, Garrett satisfied himself with the knowledge that the situation would be coming to a head soon enough. Although he became firm in his determination that his brother's wife was going to pay for her insults.

Shaking his head as he helped Dara secure their daughter in the back seat, Lucas lightly admonished;

"You know, darlin, I really should be upset with you for that comment, but, seeing that bastard speechless makes it more than worth it."

Offering her husband a timid smile, happy to see his good mood, she placed her hands against his shirt front as she offered;

"I'm just glad that I can amuse you, darling."

Wrapping his arms around her before pulling her closer, Lucas bent down and, oblivious to anyone else who might be watching, placed a deep kiss on her lips before glancing up to affirm;

"You definitely do that, love, in more ways than one. Speaking of which, what did the good doctor have to say about your check up?"

The smile on her lips broadening, Dara couldn't help but answer brightly;

"Matt said that we are both as healthy as we can be. He seems to think that the CFS is in an upswing, and, he feels that Ria is going to follow in the other kids' footsteps since she's progressing ahead of schedule."

Nodding as he hugged her tightly, Lucas found himself exhaling in relief at the news as he released her to open the car door for her before offering;

"I'm be home later on, okay?"

Nodding as she fastened her seat belt before turning the key in the ignition, Dara offered her husband a kiss as she stated;

"Be careful and I'll see you this evening, honey."

With that, she put the car in gear and pulled away from the curb. Standing in the shadows, Garrett watched the interchange between Lucas and Dara, finding himself growing impatient, knowing that he would have to make a definite move and make it very soon. Everything that he had done up until now, had just been play time and amusement for him, but the time was coming, quickly, to finish what he had started and he knew that the opportunity for him to do so would present itself soon enough.

Shortly after Mother's day, Dara's sister, Kara, phoned to ask about the possibility of a short visit. Unable to find a reasonable excuse why her sister shouldn't visit, and not really wanting to, Dara had pleaded with her husband to allow her sister's visit. Never having been able to refuse his wife anything, Lucas agreed, feeling that it might prove beneficial, especially given that she never complained about any of what they had dealt with over the past year.

It was in the first week of June that Kara and her family arrived. The day of their arrival, Dara had just finished cleaning the house with Trina and Mama Lucy's help and was in the process of trying to feed Ria before bathing and settling her for the night. This was outside of her attempts to contain her other three children's excitement over the prospect of seeing their aunt and cousins once more. Despite her own anticipation over seeing her sister, Dara found herself reaching her wits end, mostly as a result of Ria's crankiness from the ear infection that she had developed the day before as well as Alex, Riesa and Rinie's constant bickering.

Although the three were close in age, the bickering aspect of their personalities was something that Dara had never really had any real degree of difficulty with beforehand. All of the children, even Caleb, had always been close to each other and enjoyed close relationships. Concerned over the mater, Dara had voiced her concerns to Lucas who had simply shrugged it off, stating;

"Darlin, you have to remember that Alex, Riesa and Rinie have been use to being around each other, almost, their entire lives, so sharing your attention among themselves is something that they're use to. But, Ria is new to the mix and needs more of your attention so they're probably just a little jealous and acting out. Don't worry, they'll go back to acting like themselves before too much longer."

That conversation had taken place two weeks prior with no indication of their children's predicted reformation in sight. Dara found her thoughts brought back to the present at the sound of her children running up and down the staircase, yelling at each other over some toy. Between the sound of her children yelling and her baby's cries at being disturbed, Dara found her patience at an end as she placed Ria in the crib before making her way to the top of the staircase to place her hands on her hips. Seeing the look of thunder on their mother's face, all three children froze as she issued her ultimatum;

"LUCAS ALEXANDER, GWENNA CHERICE AND KATHERINE LUCILLA! IF THE THREE OF YOU DO NOT STOP THAT YELLING AND RUNNING UP AND DOWN THESE STAIRS, THE SECOND THAT YOUR FATHER WALKS THROUGH THAT DOOR THE THREE OF YOU ARE GOING TO GET A SPANKING. AND IF HE DOESN'T DO IT, THEN I WILL! DO YOU THREE UNDERSTAND ME?"

Glancing to each other, shocked, each turned to their mother, eyes wide as they nodded. Although they had never seen this level of anger in their mother before, one thing that they knew for certain, if she was calling them by their full names then they were definitely in serious trouble. Aside from that realization, they also knew that if their mother promised them a spanking then she would definitely give them one. Each one nodding, they all mumbled in unison;

"Yes, Mommy."

Nodding, Dara ordered;

"Good!, Now, you can either go into the living room and watch television or you can go to the back porch and play, but if you watch TV I do not want to hear one argument; do you understand me?"

Nodding silently, they ventured back down the staircase, much more quietly then what they had been before. Satisfied that she wouldn't have any other issues at that moment, Dara turned and returned to her bedroom as she took Ria, who was now crying for all she was worth, from the crib to quiet her. Finally, after giving her the medication Matt had prescribed, she managed to quiet her daughter enough that the exhausted infant drifted off to sleep. Laying her in the crib and drawing the drapes over the window, Dara made her way downstairs to finish supper.

She was about to pass the front door when it opened to admit her husband who was holding a dozen roses. Lucas couldn't help but smile at the sight of her as he laid the roses on the table before taking her in his arms, without saying a word, and kissed her deeply. Lifting his head, Lucas smiled mischievously before greeting;

"Hello."

Dara couldn't help but chuckle as she looked at him in shock;

"Well hello back. Not that I object, but what was that greeting for?"

Shrugging as he continued holding her, he ventured;

"How about just because I love you and because I could hear the rowdy bunch in there dealing you a fit earlier."

Looping her arms around his neck, Dara couldn't help but smile as she admitted;

"Well, despite the reason, I like the greeting immensely. You wouldn't care to demonstrate it again, would you?

Nodding as he returned her smile, he complied;

"Gladly."

Taking her in his arms as he lowered his head, Lucas took possession of her mouth as the front door opened, admitting Kara and her family. Jack, Kara's husband, couldn't help but grin at his sister in law's embarrassment as he turned to his wife to demand good naturedly;

"Now do you understand how they managed to have so many kids?"

Lucas merely grinned as his wife blushed profusely as Kara nudged her husband before admonishing;

"Please behave yourself."

Turning she hugged her younger sister tightly before turning to her brother in law to offer a brief embrace as Dara hugged Jack and her niece and nephew. Although Kara liked her brother in law well enough, she knew that he wasn't a man that allowed anyone to get very close to him. She often wondered how it was that a woman with her sister's personality managed to have such a close relationship when she was so outgoing and giving and he was so distant. Shaking the thought from her head, Kara asked brightly;

"So, where are my nieces and nephews?"

Glancing behind her towards the living room doorway, Dara found her three children waiting for permission to enter. Once their mother nodded her permission all three ran eagerly forward to greet their aunt, uncle and cousins. Shaking her head in amazement as she hugged each child and watched as they trooped back towards the living room, Kara praised;

"Dara, I really have to hand it to you; they're the most well behaved kids that I've ever seen."

Although she smiled at her sister's praise, Dara confessed;

"Well, don't be too impressed, I just had to threaten all three with spankings earlier; so they do have their moments. You can see Ria a little later, she's had an ear infection for the past couple of days and I just got her quiet and settled. Why don't we get you guys situated?"

Once everyone had been settled into their rooms, Dara and Kara were in the dining room setting the table when Kara glanced about curiously as she asked;

"Where's Caleb?"

Placing the silverware on the table, Dara explained;

"He's gone to pick up Trina, his girlfriend, she's going to be eating with us tonight so that you can meet her."

Dara had no sooner finished her explanation when Caleb and Trina entered the dining room. Offering a broad smile, Caleb hugged his favorite aunt as he greeted brightly;

"Hi, Aunt Kara, how are you?"

Kara couldn't help but smile as she took a step back to study her nephew's appearance. She had always striven to treat Caleb as equally as she did the rest of Dara's children, especially given that Dara had legally adopted him five years earlier, becoming his legal mother. Turning to look at the girl who was as small as her sister, Kara replied;

"I'm fine, Caleb, by the way, who's this pretty little thing?"

Trina couldn't help but blush at the compliment as Caleb took her hand to pull her forward as he introduced her;

"Aunt Kara, this is Trina, my girlfriend."

Kara couldn't help but smile at the girl as she extended her hand and offered softly;

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Tanner."

Attempting to put the girl at ease, Kara shook her head as she explained;

"Honey, in this family you don't have to call us 'Mrs.'. Just call me Kara."

Feeling more at ease, Trina nodded as Jack entered to slap Caleb on the back in greeting as Dara offered;

"By the way, Trina, this nut is Kara's husband; Jack."

Feigning a look of offense at her words, Jack placed his hand over his heart as he quipped;

"Dara, I'm appalled, what would make you say that about me? I mean how could you possibly think that I'm mentally unbalanced?"

Raising an eyebrow in a sarcastic manner, Dara ventured;

"Two things, Jack; first, that's my professional opinion as a counselor and, two, it happens to be a pre-requisition for admission to this family."

Having heard his wife's explanation as he entered the room, Lucas couldn't help but demand in mock seriousness;

"Really, darlin, well then how do you explain me?"

Wrapping her arms around his waist, Dara looked up to offer a slight smile of amusement as she theorized;

"Well, honey, we do have to allow a few sane people in for balance you know."

Lucas could only shake his head in amusement, relieved to see her in such a good humor for a change.

As the evening wore on after the meal had been finished, the table cleared, Lucas and Dara put the kids to bed after Caleb had left to take Trina home. Once they were certain the children were settled for the night, Dara and Lucas made their way back downstairs to join Jack and Kara in the kitchen, where Kara had just made a fresh pot of coffee as Mama Lucy bid everyone good night. Brittany had elected to retire to her room to read while Jacob, who was bunking with Caleb, decided to entertain himself on the video game system until his cousin's return.

Waiting until everyone was settled at the kitchen table, Kara decided that it might be time to broach the subject that she and her husband had been considering for a few weeks, at least since learning that Dara had safely delivered Ria. Grant you, Lucas had neglected to mention the issues that they had been forced to deal with thanks to his brother, or just how close Ria's safe delivery had come to being a tragedy. Noticing that her sister was hedging about something, Dara decided to offer her an opening as she observed;

"Okay, Kara, what's on your mind?"

Glancing to her husband who nodded his encouragement, Kara explained;

"Well, it's just that Jack and I have been discussing it and since Brittany is going off for that Summer college program for a few weeks and given the problems that you had with your pregnancy and the new baby; well, we were thinking that, maybe, you two would let us take Alex, Riesa and Rinie back with us for a vacation. That way, you can have some bonding time with Ria and have a chance to get some rest; I mean, you know that we'll take good care of them."

Dara couldn't help but stare at her sister in shocked disbelief before she turned to her husband, who seemed just as stunned. Seeing the look on her sister's face, Kara rushed to suggest;

"Don't decide about it right now, or even tomorrow, just think about it. I know that they've never been away from you or from home before, but we really think that this just might be good for, both, you and them."

Sighing as she took a sip of her tea, Dara nodded;

"Alright, we'll discuss it and make a decision before you leave. Is that fair enough?"

Breathing a sigh of relief, Kara offered her sister a timid smile before nodding her agreement with Dara's answer. Glancing at the clock and realizing how late it was getting, Kara bid goodnight;

"Well, we've had a long day with the trip and what have you, so we'll say goodnight."

Hearing the door close upstairs, Lucas turned to his wife;

"I think they have the right idea, let's head to bed ourselves."

Once they made certain that all of the doors were secured, they made their way upstairs to their bedroom to begin preparing for bed. Brushing her hair, Dara turned to her husband to demand;

"Alright, I know you have one, so what is your opinion about all of this?"

Climbing into bed, Lucas stated;

"Honestly? I think that they may be right; maybe we should consider letting the kids go with them for a few weeks."

Lucas had known that she wouldn't be overly thrilled with his opinion, however, he wasn't fully prepared for the look of disbelief that she now wore as he explained in a hushed tone;

"Look,, baby, this thing with Garrett is about to come to a head and, to my way of thinking, this is a good way to get three targets out of his line of fire. I would really like to make it six, but, Caleb is, more or less, his own man now and he has to choose his own way. You're too damn stubborn to go, not to mention the fact that I don't particularly want you away from me and Ria is too small to be separated from you. But Alex, Riesa and Rinie, they're a different story; I don't particularly like sending our kids off anymore than what you do, but I do think that, in this case at least, it would be a good idea."

Studying her face carefully as she climbed into bed, he realized, by the look on her face, that she was considering his words as he asked softly;

"Well, what do you think?"

Sighing in resignation as she turned towards him, Dara offered;

"I think that I'm about to learn the concept of empty nest syndrome earlier then what I particularly care to."

Reaching to her nightstand, Dara turned out the lamp to douse the room in darkness as she turned to her side of the bed. Pulling her closer as he settled against her back, Lucas kissed her cheek as he vowed;

"Darlin, I promise you that this will all be over soon and we won't have to be separated from our kids again."

Glancing over her shoulder, Dara replied;

"THAT is a promise that I am definitely going to hold you to."

With that, she settled against him to find sleep.

Helping Dara pack the children's clothing, Kara turned to her sister;

"Could I ask you something?"

Glancing at her sister in curiosity, she nodded her encouragement as Kara began;

"Please don't misunderstand, I like Lucas and what have you, but he just doesn't strike me as being an easy man to get close to. How do you two manage to be as close as you are? I mean, I know that you love each other and that's what you're supposed to do when you're married but it's just that, well, you two are a lot closer than most husbands and wives. It's almost like the two of you are able to communicate with each other without even talking, you guys just always seem to know when the other needs or wants something. How have you managed to be that way?"

Dara couldn't help the smile of serenity that crossed her face as she continued folding clothes into an open suitcase as she thought of the relationship she felt blessed to have with her husband. Turning to her sister, she offered;

"To be honest, I'm really not sure just how to answer you because I don't know myself how our relationship got to be that way. It just seems that, ever since I've known him, Lucas has always seemed to know exactly what I was thinking or feeling, and, when we got married, it just seemed to come as second nature for me to be the same way with him. I guess that it's just something that can happen between two people sometimes. You have to understand something; Lucas and I have been through a lot more than what most married people go through and we've still managed to come through it all with the same feelings that we had before we started."

Mulling her sister's explanation, Kara asked;

"Are you sure that you really don't mind that the kids are going back home with us?"

Sighing, Dara knew that her sister would ask the question sooner or later and she didn't want to convey the idea that she didn't trust her sibling with her children. Finally, she admitted;

"If I were to say that I liked the idea of my children being away from me for a few weeks, especially for the first time, I would be lying. But, I do think that it will be good for them and it will give them a chance to get closer to you guys. That being the case I have to say that I don't exactly mind them going with you, but I will miss them, even though I know that you'll take good care of them."

Before she could say anything else, Jack came into the room as she placed the last article of clothing into the suitcase before closing it, to ask;

"Now, is that everything?"

Glancing around to make certain that she hadn't missed anything, Dara nodded sadly as she answered;

"I suppose so, Jack. The have their animals and such downstairs so I guess that's everything."

Seeing the look on her face, Jack set the suitcases down before placing his arm around her shoulders to give her a hug as he offered;

"You know that we'll take good care of them, don't you, Little Sister?"

Nodding, Dara explained;

"Jack, I know that you'll take care of them, it's just that this is the first time that I've been separated from them like this."

Nodding his understanding, he took the suitcases before heading downstairs to load them into the mini-van. Dara and Kara followed him downstairs just as Lucas and the kids walked in the door from the shopping spree at the toy store that Lucas had taken the kids on, insisting that they needed new toys for the trip. Eager to show their mother their new possessions, all three ran to Dara, who offered them a loving smile, determined to make the time left before they left as special as possible for them. Quietly, Lucas asked;

"Are they all packed?"

Silently, Dara nodded, worried that she might give the children a negative impression about their going with their aunt and uncle. Once Dara and Lucas had come to the decision to allow their children to go with Kara and Jack, they had asked their children their feelings about the trip. Although they had assured their parents that they would miss dearly miss them and their siblings they had eagerly seized upon the opportunity to spend more time with their aunt and uncle, excited to be traveling to a new place.

Reaching into his pocket, Lucas withdrew his wallet to pull out five one hundred dollar bills before handing them to Kara. Shocked, Kara stared at her brother in law in disbelief as she admonished;

"You don't have to give us money to take care of the kids, we want to do it, and certainly not this much."

Shaking his head as he held his hand up, refusing to take the money back, he offered;

"Look, I know that they can eat like little horses when they want to and, in case you go shopping or to a park or something, I'd feel better if you took it."

Sighing in resignation, knowing that her brother in law's mind was made up, Kara relented;

"Alright, but this money is for whatever they want. We WANT to take them for a while."

Nodding, Lucas advised;

"You do with it whatever you think best."

Before he could say anything more, Jack walked through the front door to nod to his wife as he advised;

"It's time to leave, hun."

Lucas couldn't help but turn to study his wife, knowing that this was going to be the most difficult moment for her, when they were leaving. He especially felt concerned when Rinie tugged on her mother's hand to ask;

"Mommy, are you going to miss us?"

Kneeling down, Dara opened her arms up to all three children before offering;

"Of course I will, Little Bit, but I know that you guys are going to have so much fun with Aunt Kara and Uncle Jack and Aunt Kara said that she's going to let you call me and Daddy anytime that you want to. Besides that, we'll see you guys in just a few weeks; okay?"

Nodding, all three hugged and kissed their mother and father before following their cousins out to the mini van. Jack followed as Kara hugged her sister tightly before promising;

"You know that they'll be fine, right?"

Dara hugged her sister as she nodded before pulling back, trying desperately to hold back her tears as she begged shakily;

"Please, take good care of my babies and let them know that I love them every night when you tuck them in."

Unable to keep the tears at bay any longer, she brushed at them before turning to run up the staircase to the sanctuary of her bedroom. Watching her exit in indecision, Kara debated if she should follow before Lucas ventured;

"Don't worry, she's going to be alright. I'll go up and talk to her in a minute."

Nodding, Kara offered him a brief hug before turning to leave. Lucas stood on the porch, watching as they drove off down the street. Turning, he went back inside the house and was about to go upstairs when Lucilla came up the hallway to shake her head;

"Lucas, it's best if you leave her alone right now. The first time that a mother has to let her children go away from her, especially when they're that young, is a hard thing. Let her work it out on her own."

Glancing back up the staircase in indecision before turning back to his grandmother, Lucas nodded his agreement as he followed her to the kitchen.


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER 12**

Since his encounter with his sister in law, Garrett Darvin had been on tender hooks, waiting for any sign of an idea in just how to appropriately deal with Dara Buck to appear. Finally, he found the key to his dilemma dropped into his lap, thanks to his decision to drop in at a small bar close to Ascension. Sitting at the bar as he sipped leisurely on his beer, he couldn't help but notice the attention he was receiving from a very attractive brunette sitting at a nearby table. Mentally, he found himself comparing her to his sister in law and realized that, although his admirer, in his mind at least, was found lacking. Where Dara's hair was a unique blend of auburn with tints that reminded him of dark, burnt rubies running through its strands, this girl's hair was a dark brunette color with tints of red running through it. Her eyes were another area that he found lacking in comparison, although he knew without doubt that no one would be able to compare with the unique cat like shape of his sister in law's sea green eyes, he still found the dark, chocolate brown of the young woman's almond shaped eyes to be intriguing.

Making his decision, Garrett slid from his bar stool and approached the young woman's table as he offered;

"I know this might seem a little on the presumptuous side, but, I couldn't help but notice you and, since you're sitting alone, I thought I'd see if you'd like some company and I'd like to buy you a drink."

At the girl's nod, Garrett slid into the chair as he motioned to the waitress to refill both their glasses. Turning back to the girl, he found himself still comparing her to Dara as he realized that, although the girl was easily about six or seven years younger, had he not been aware of Dara's true age he would have judged her to be the younger of the two. Yet, despite the areas that he found the young woman lacking in when he compared her to his sister in law, he couldn't deny that she still possessed an innocent charm and beauty that he could easily see keeping him amused, at least for the time being.

As it turned out, the young lady was named Wendy Austin and as it also happened, she was the file clerk in charge of the patient files at Fulton County General, something that he quickly realized could play a definite part in helping him in determining EXACTLY what steps to take in his vengeance against Dara, which in turn, would help put his brother off balance and easily see him accomplishing his ultimate goal. Placing a welcoming smile on his face as he walked up the hallway towards the file room, Garrett brought his thoughts to the present as he prepared to enter the office. He had been seeing Wendy for the past three weeks and had pushed the idea of their relationship, at least to the point that his visiting her at work wasn't something she found questionable. Opening the door, he greeted eagerly;

"Hey, honey, how you doing today?"

Looking up from the stack of files on her desk, Wendy rose from her desk to cross the space between them before placing her arms around his neck as she placed a kiss on his mouth to reply;

"I'm just fine, sweetie, how are you?"

Raising the bag he had in his hand, Garrett offered;

"I thought we'd have supper together since you had to work late tonight."

Shaking her head, she gushed;

"That's what I like about you so much, you're just so thoughtful. Thank you, honey."

Before she could elaborate on her gratitude, the phone on her desk rang. Huffing in frustration, she snatched the phone from the cradle and answered;

"Records, Wendy speaking."

Studying her reaction to the voice on the phone, Garrett could tell that she was a little put out at the idea being suggested by the caller. However, he wasn't shocked when she simply nodded before offering;

"Yes, sir, I understand. I'll be right up."

With that she slammed the receiver down before swearing;

"DAMN!"

Turning towards him, she explained;

"Honey, I'm sorry but they're short staffed on the floors and they're backed up with the files. I have to go get the files and bring them back down myself."

Glancing around, he could see the uncertainty in her eyes as she ventured aloud;

"I'm really not supposed to leave anyone that's not an employee in here, but I'm sure that I can trust you. Will you be alright until I get back?"

Offering her a smile full of charm, Garrett nodded;

"Sure, darlin, you go on upstairs. I'll just sit here and listen to the radio and when you get back, if you want, I'll help you get caught up and we can have ourselves a little picnic with the food I brought."

Although he could see she was easily swaying, he wasn't surprised when she bit at her bottom lip before considering;

"Well, I guess that no one will just wander by and I'm sure I can trust you."

Placing a deep kiss on her lips he offered;

"Of course you can, now what on earth would I want in this old file room?"

Chuckling with mirth at the idea, she nodded as she left, pulling the door behind her. Once he heard the elevator, taking her to the upper floors, Garrett made his way to the appropriate section of the file room and quickly searched for the file he was after. Finally, pulling a folder out he read the label; BUCK, CHAMBERS, DARA. Opening the folder he scanned it quickly and found himself smiling broadly as he realized that the key he was hoping for had just been dropped into his lap as he read before exclaiming;

"BINGO!"

There, in black and white, was the answer to what he considered his problem. Written in Matt Crower's careful hand under the allergy section was the warning; PENICILLIN (HIGHLY DANGEROUS, POSSIBLY LETHAL). Realizing that he truly had the key, Garrett continued his perusal and realized that he had also been shown the door as well as he noticed a more current portion of the file that listed continuous medications. Under that section he found a listing which read: HIGH POWERED MULTI VITAMINS, IRON SUPLLEMENT. Aside from the medications listed there was also a log that listed the dates when the medications were filled at the hospital pharmacy, noticing the last date, Garrett found himself chuckling in glee as he observed aloud;

"Well, it seems as if my sister in law is a creature of habit."

All of the dates listed were the same ones each month and, if she held true to habit, it appeared that the day after tomorrow was when her next prescription was due to be filled. Continuing to smile to himself, Garrett realized just exactly how he would be able to remove the obstacle that his sister in law presented in accomplishing his goal where his brother was concerned. Grant you, he had no intentions of killing her, at least not yet, not until he had the opportunity to find out just what it was about her charms that kept his brother as enraptured as he appeared to be with her. However, he desperately needed to get her out of the way and the best way he could see to accomplish that goal was to put her in a state of anaphylactic shock. Hearing the hum of the elevator he returned to the file before resuming his seat as he heard the click of Wendy's heels on the tile floor and decided that it was time that they deepen their relationship, at least enough to allow him access to the hospital pharmacy.

Dara had just finished brushing her hair as she was getting ready for bed when she realized that she had forgotten to take her iron pills. Since Matt had insisted that she continue taking, both, the vitamins and the iron supplement, even after her pregnancy, she had opted to take the vitamins during the day and the iron pills at night before bed. She had just finished swallowing the pills with her water when Lucas emerged from the bathroom after his shower, drying his hair with his towel as he offered her a smile before asking;

"You ready to get some sleep, darlin?"

Nodding as she walked past him, she kissed him in passing as she made her way to the crib to check on Ria before retiring. Pulling the blanket around the infant before placing a kiss on her forehead, she couldn't help but feel grateful that she had already begun to sleep through the night. Waiting until she joined him in bed, Lucas turned off the bedside lamp as Dara settled herself against him, ready to find her rest for the night.

Sensing that something didn't seem quite right, Lucas woke to switch on the lamp before turning to his wife and gasping in horror. Dara's complexion was an almost paper white pallor as she was frantically clawing at her throat, the ragged wheezing an indication of her struggle to get air into her lungs. Quickly, Lucas snatched the door open as he bellowed;

"CALEB! GET IN HERE NOW!"

Turning back to Dara he placed his arm behind her back to lift her to a sitting position, thinking that there was a possibility that she might be chocking on something, he began frantically hitting her back in an attempt to dislodge whatever might possibly be the source of her malady. Still half asleep, Caleb entered the room, mumbling in a sleepy voice;

"What's the mat...?"

As soon as he saw the situation with his mother, the boy rushed to Dara's side to beg frantically;

"MAMA, WHAT IS IT?!"

The panic evident in her eyes, Dara turned from one to the other in fright as she struggled to speak past the swelling in her throat;

"Can't breat..."

Before she could complete her statement, Dara's eyes closed as she lost consciousness. Lucas's eyes widened in horror as he realized that, not only had she lost consciousness but, her chest has ceased to rise and fall. Turning to his son, he ordered brusquely;

"CALL CROWER, NOW!"

Jumping across his wife's side of the bed to the floor, Lucas hurried to lift her from the bed to place her on the floor as Caleb snatched the phone from the nightstand to call Matt. Lucilla, having been woken by the sound of Lucas' bellowing as well as the baby's crying, was in the process of fastening her robe when she walked in to the bedroom to demand;

"What's going on in...what in the world, WHAT HAPPENED TO DARA?!"

Shaking his head, Lucas advised;

"Mama, not now, please. Take the baby downstairs."

Certain she would do as he asked, Lucas placed his ear over his wife's chest and, hearing no heartbeat, he swore;

"DAMN!"

Placing his hands over her heart he began CPR as Caleb informed him;

"Dr. Matt said that he's on his way."

Seeing his father working over his mother, he asked;

"What can I do to help, Dara?"

Motioning for him to place his hands where his had been, Lucas ordered;

"You do the chest compressions and I'll give her mouth to mouth."

Doing as he had been instructed, Caleb listened as he heard his mother's heart begin beating. A smile of relief began and then froze as he realized that she still wasn't breathing. Turning to his father, his eyes wide in fear he pointed out;

"Dad, look at her chest, she's not getting any air, there's something that's blocking it."

Caleb couldn't help but notice the fear in his father's eyes as he snatched a flashlight from the drawer of the bedside table before he opened Dara's mouth and exclaimed;

"Oh my God, her throat's swollen shut."

Turning to Caleb, he ordered;

"Go in the bathroom and get the alcohol, a towel and my pen knife and the pen from my jacket and hurry."

Caleb bolted from the floor to do as his father told him, returning quickly, he demanded;

"Dad, what are you going to do?"

Shaking his head in frustrated dismay, Lucas offered;

"Son, the only thing that we can do under the circumstances; a tracheotomy."

His jaw dropping as his eyes widened, Caleb asked in shock;

"But, Dad, isn't that dangerous?"

Lucas couldn't help but glare at his son as he demanded sarcastically;

"Caleb, son, would you rather I let her die? Her throat is swollen shut and this is the only way that she breathe right now. Now, are you going to help me or not?"

Knowing that his father wouldn't willingly do anything to hurt his mother unless it meant saving her life, Caleb nodded as he watched Lucas take the tube from the ink pen before opening the knife and handing the alcohol to Caleb as he instructed him;

"Alright, I need you to pour that over the knife, the tube and my hands and then over your mother's neck. Then, I need you to hold her shoulders and I mean tight, she might convulse when I cut her and I need her to be still, I don't want to risk causing anymore damage than absolutely necessary."

Taking the bottle of alcohol, Caleb did as his father had instructed him before setting the bottle on the floor and pressing his hands firmly against his mother's shoulders before nodding to his father. Looking down on his wife's unconscious face, Lucas shook his head as he muttered;

"I'm sorry, darlin."

Pressing the razor sharp blade of the knife against her pale throat, he watched as a stain of crimson appeared in the hollow of her throat before taking the tube and inserting it into the opening that he had just made with the knife. Lucas and Caleb waited for what seemed an eternity, but was in reality only a second or two, until they heard the blessed sound of wheezing from the tube. Placing his ear against her chest, Lucas turned to his son in relief as he observed;

"Her hearts beating and she's breathing."

Caleb could only nod, speechless, thankful for his father's knowledge as he watched the rise and fall of his mother's chest. Both turned towards the doorway as they heard a rapid succession of footsteps on the staircase just as Matt ran into the room to kneel by Dara as he checked the tube in her throat before demanding;

"What happened?"

Shaking his head, Lucas offered;

"Damn if I know, Harvard, we were asleep and something woke me up. When I turned on the light, Dara was grabbing at her throat, I thought that she might be choking, but she wasn't. She just stopped breathing and her heart stopped, so we did CPR and we realized that her throat was swollen shut, this was the only thing that I could think of to do."

Seeing the truth of Lucas' statement, Matt nodded as he checked her eyes, throat and pulse before inquiring;

"Did she take anything tonight?"

Shrugging, Lucas thought before recalling;

"She took her iron pills, she generally takes those at bedtime."

Noticing the bottle on her nightstand, Matt shook out a couple of the capsules before he broke one open to examine it more closely as he tasted a small bit of the powder that filled the capsules. His eyes widening Matt grabbed the phone where Caleb had dropped it earlier to call the hospital as he instructed;

"Hello? Yeah, Rita, this is Matt. Look I need an ambulance at Sheriff Buck's house, STAT. Tell them to pack Epinephrine, yeah, anaphylactic shock and yes, I want her admitted."

Ending the call, he turned to Lucas in concern as he demanded;

"Do you have any idea as to what's in these capsules?"

His gaze narrowing, Lucas speculated;

"I thought that they were iron pills."

Shaking his head, Matt explained;

"They're SUPPOSED to be iron pills; this is penicillin."

Lucas shook his head vehemently as he denied;

"But that's impossible, she's highly allergic to penicillin. You even have it marked in her file as being possibly lethal, don't you?"

Nodding, Matt offered;

"Yes, I do, which means that this could possibly just be an accidental mix up."

Glancing down at his wife before turning back to Crower, Lucas glared;

"I know who did this, I just don't know HOW he did it."

Matt, seeing the rise of Lucas' temper beginning, sought to try and ease the eruption he felt was coming as he suggested;

"This could just really be a simple mistake."

Glowering at the younger man, Lucas challenged;

"Harvard, a simple mistake is not to fill an entire bottle labeled; IRON SUPPLEMENT, with penicillin. This was done intentionally and we both know it."

Reluctantly, Matt found himself nodding his agreement, however, he knew that there were more immediate concerns that needed to be addressed as he offered;

"Alright, you may well be right, but for right now we need to worry about the more immediate concern of getting your wife to the hospital and getting her on epinephrine so that we can counteract the effects of the penicillin."

Realizing for the first time just how, rather, scantily attired Lucas truly was, Matt tactfully suggested;

"Maybe you'd like to consider dressing a little more 'appropriately'?"

Realizing that the man most definitely had a point, Lucas rose to snatch his clothes from the chair and hurry into the bathroom to dress. While he was dressing, Matt had secured the tube in Dara's throat with gauze and bandaging tape before the paramedics entered the room. As Lucas emerged from the bathroom it was to find the paramedics trying to determine the best way to lift Dara onto the stretcher, however, he quickly found himself agitated when one of the medics suggested lifting her by her arms and lets. Sucking in his breath at the man's stupidity, Lucas glowered at the pair as he exploded;

"Are the two of you insane or just that stupid? You can see that she has a tube in her throat, the last thing in the world that she needs is for her neck to fall backwards like that."

Stalking towards them, Lucas glared as he ordered;

"Just move, I'll do it myself."

Motioning to Matt, Lucas placed his arms under Dara to gently lift her from the floor while Matt ensured that her neck remained immobile. Once they had her on the stretcher, he turned to the medics to challenge;

"Now, do the two of you think that you can get her to the hospital without killing her?"

Chagrined, both men simply nodded as they secured Dara on the stretcher before carefully hurrying to load her into the ambulance as Matt followed to begin her IV.

Lucas felt as if he and Caleb had been waiting for an eternity, both too frightened of contemplating what might be taking place with Dara behind the exam room door. Matt had informed them that the tube in her throat was going to have to be replaced with a slightly larger one that would allow more air into her lungs, that was aside from the IV he had started in the ambulance to begin administering epinephrine to help counteract the anaphylactic shock her system had suffered.

Noticing Matt's approach as he entered the waiting room, Lucas braced himself as Matt began explaining the situation as it stood;

"I was able to secure a larger tube in her throat, that's going to let her get more oxygen into her lungs, the good news is that the swelling is going down in her throat, slowly, but it is going down. In a few days I think that she may be able to breathe normally without the tube. To be honest, the part that has me really worried is that her heart stopped."

Swallowing hard at the guilt lodged in his own throat, Lucas asked fearfully;

"What about her throat; I'm not a doctor, did I damage anything?"

Matt couldn't help but feel sympathy for the man that he never thought he would be able to associate that particular emotion with, however, seeing the pleading look on his face in concern for his wife, Matt couldn't help but understand the man's worry now. Shaking his head, Matt offered, without preamble;

"I really can't say right now. It's just too soon to tell yet, there may be a possibility that she may have suffered some damage to her larynx, but until the tube comes out of her throat we won't know for sure."

Staring at the man intently, Caleb asked softly;

"Do you mean that Mama might not be able to talk again?"

Placing his hand on the boy's arm, Matt offered;

"Caleb, son, I'm sorry but I really don't know right now. We're just going to have to wait and see."

Studying the man closely, Lucas could sense that he was holding something back from them as he narrowed his gaze and pinned the man with his eyes before voicing his suspicions;

"There's something that you're not telling us; isn't there, Harvard?"

Although he had given consideration to simply lying to them to spare them, Matt knew that there would truly be no point in doing so and to that end he questioned;

"Lucas, how long was she without oxygen?"

Glancing to his son as he carefully considered the inquiry, Lucas estimated;

"Maybe three or four minutes, I'm not really sure, but I know that it couldn't have possibly been any longer than five minutes at most."

Nodding at his father's estimation. Caleb demanded;

"Why are you asking, Dr. Matt?"

Sighing in resignation as he looked at the pair in sympathy, Matt stated sadly;

"The human brain can only go for a very short amount of time without oxygen before it suffers damage."

His eyes widening before they narrowed in consideration, Lucas' voice filled with disbelief as he demanded;

"Matt, are you trying to tell me that my wife might have brain damage?"

Matt couldn't help but nod, the sympathy evident on his face as he offered;

"Look, we're not going to know anything until she regains consciousness, but I am saying that it could be a possibility, yes."

Swallowing the lump of fear he felt rising in his throat, Caleb turned to his father to suggest;

"Do you think that we should call Aunt Kara and have her bring the kids back?"

Rising from his chair, Lucas went to stand before the waiting room window as he braced his hand against the frame to lean against it as he stared out into the darkness, hoping that some miraculous answer might present itself. Taking a steadying breath, Lucas shook his head as he stated;

"No, we're not going to say anything about this right now. Until we know just what we're dealing with there isn't any sense in upsetting the kids or your aunts either, at least not until we absolutely have to. Son, you go on home and help Mama Lucy with the baby, I'm staying her with your mother, I'm not leaving her alone."

For three days Lucas waited by his wife's bedside, hoping for some sign that she was regaining consciousness. Understanding the situation, as well as knowing of the threat that Garrett Darvin was posing to Lucas family, Ben had taken the initiative and was filling in for Lucas at the station as well as trying to track down just how Dara's prescription could have been switched as it was. Lucas was dozing in a chair by her bedside when Matt came in on his rounds, he had just finished his examination and was about to discuss his prognosis with Lucas when they noticed her lifting her hand form her chest towards her head as her eyes opened. Seeing she was about to speak, Matt rushed to stop her;

"Dara, don't talk! You had to have a tracheotomy and you've got a tube in your throat so don't speak, alright?"

Although the confusion was evident in her face, Matt sighed in relief as she nodded her acceptance as she glanced around the room, trying to orient herself, seeing Lucas, she instinctively held her hand out in a silent plea. Sitting on the side of her bed, Lucas took her hand in his to hold it tightly before bringing it to his lips in thankfulness as she turned back towards Matt to motion for him to come closer. Realizing that she had questions about her condition, Matt surmised;

"I'm guessing that you'd like to ask me some questions?"

Nodding, she pointed to her throat before shrugging as she looked at him, the perplexity obvious in her eyes. Uncertain as to her exact meaning, Matt turn to Lucas who explained;

"She wants to know what happened."

Matt realized just how grateful he felt that Lucas was able to interpret for her as she nodded eagerly that her husband's assumption of her crude sign language was correct. Although hesitant to upset her more than necessary, Matt also knew that if he was anything less than truthful with her, she would never forgive him. Steeling himself, he explained;

"We're not sure just how it happened yet, but you somehow managed to take a dose of penicillin and you went into anaphylactic shock and it caused your throat to swell shut. If it weren't for your husband doing an emergency tracheotomy to save your life, I don't think you'd be here because I wouldn't have gotten to you in time."

Turning towards her husband, Dara looked at him questioningly as she pointed to him before motioning towards her throat. Instinctively, Lucas knew what she was trying to ask as he nodded, his face full of regret at the idea that he had caused her any type of pain as he offered;

"Yes, darlin, I did it and, baby, you have no idea how sorry I am. The last thing in the world that I would ever want to do is to hurt you, but, sweetheart, there just wasn't any other option that I could think of, you weren't breathing and you had to get air into your lungs somehow."

Shaking her head vehemently, Dara motioned for him to lean closer towards her as she placed a kiss on his cheek, silently thanking him. Although he knew that the Bucks had, what many could only deem, an amazing marriage, Matt still couldn't help but watch the exchange between the two in amazement, especially considering how they were able to communicate with each other without the use of words and still know EXACTLY what each was thinking. Matt found his observations interrupted as she turned to him, the myriad of questions swirling in her mind showing in the look of heightened curiosity in her eyes as he realized that she was determined to have her questions answered, especially when she pointed towards her throat as she mimicked the action of talking with her hands. Lucas couldn't help but find some slight amusement at the doctor's confusion as he turned towards him, a look of pleading on his face for assistance, Lucas, taking the initiative given the situation, interpreted;

"She wants to know if she'll be able to talk again."

Shaking his head, Matt looked at her in sympathy as he admitted;

"Dara, sweetie, I'm sorry, but right now I don't know. To be honest, we aren't going to know for sure until we take the tube from your throat and suture the opening, which, by the way, we're going to be able to do tomorrow since the swelling is completely down."

Offering her a look of apology, Matt explained;

"I really hate having to do this right now, but you were technically dead for a few minutes and we've got to make certain that there isn't any subsequent damage. So, I have to ask you some questions and all you have to do is to just motion of nod; okay?"

Dara offered him a knowing look as she tapped her temple with her finger as Matt, understanding her meaning, nodded before responding;

"Yes, I mean brain damage. Alright, just mouth the words to this one, okay? What's your full name?"

Without sound, Dara mouthed the words; 'Dara Cherice Chambers Buck.'

Matt couldn't help but smile as she continued;

"Alright, good, and how old are you?"

Holding up both of her hands, Dara held up three fingers on one hand and then one finger on the other, much to the delight of her audience, to indicate that she was thirty-one years old. Matt couldn't help but sigh in relief as he prodded;

"Good! Okay, are you married and to who?"

Seeing the look of sarcasm on her face, Matt couldn't help but chuckle as he offered;

"I know, I was there, but I still have to ask."

Sighing in resignation, Dara nodded as she pointed to Lucas before Matt made a check on her chart before asking;

"Okay, do you have any children and if you do, how many children do you have and how old are they?"

Nodding, Dara held up her hands once more to hold up, first five fingers to indicate the number of children that she had and then she began ticking off their ages of sixteen for Caleb, twice at four for the twins, three for Rinie and then fourteen for Ria, something that stumped Matt momentarily before Lucas clarified;

"Ria is fourteen weeks old, remember?"

Pointing to her husband, Dara nodded to indicate the accuracy of his meaning. Indicating his acceptance of the explanation with a slight nod, Matt offered;

"Okay, this is the last question; how long have you been married?"

Unable to keep from smiling as she held up her hand once more she held up five fingers to indicate the number of years that she and Lucas had been married. Matt couldn't help but shake his head as he made a notation on her chart before turning to her to praise;

"Well, Mrs. Buck, ever since I've known you I've always said that you're a sharp lady and, thank God, you still are. Now, I've got other patients that I need to see and, despite your Sleeping Beauty impersonation for the past couple of days, you do need some rest. Tomorrow, we're going to get that tube out and we'll see about your voice; alright?"

Dara nodded, her appreciation evident in her face as she motioned for Matt to step closer, when he did she leaned over to kiss his cheek in gratitude. Matt found himself blushing as he patted her hand before acknowledging;

"You're quite welcome, hun. Now, I'll see you tomorrow."

Turning to Lucas he ventured;

"Try to make her rest, would you?"

Turning towards her, Lucas reached up to push stray curl over her shoulder as he offered;

"I'll do my best, Harvard."

Lucas wasn't shocked when, as soon as the door was closed behind Matt, Dara turned towards him and positioned her arms in a cradling manner as she looked at him questioningly. Understanding her question, he explained;

"Ria is just fine, darlin. Mama Lucy is taking care of her and she's quite alright, I promise, although we did have to go ahead and start her on formula."

The concern over the matter evident in her eyes, Dara looked at him questioningly as she pointed to her breasts before shaking her head in the unspoken question as Lucas explained apologetically;

"I'm sorry, love, but your milk dried up from all of the medication, we just didn't have any alternative."

Lucas knew that she would be disappointed when she learned that she could no longer breast feed their child, so the look of disappointed sorrow that came to her features as she crossed her arms over her chest came as no surprise to him. Trying to comfort her, he patted her hand as he suggested;

"Darlin, don't fret over it, it'll be okay, I promise. She's doing just fine on the formula."

Seeing that she accepted his statement by her nod of acceptance, he also noticed the yawn that she tried to stifle behind her hand as he asked;

"Are you tired, darlin?"

Nodding, she motioned towards the chair before looking at him, the silent plea in her eyes as Lucas realized what she was asking a he ventured;

"You want me to stay?"

At her nod, he stood to lean over her bed, as he brushed the back of his fingers against her cheek before grasping her hand in his free hand before offering;

"Don't worry, love, I was planning on it. I'm not going anywhere until you do, so just go to sleep and get some rest, I'll be right here."


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER 13**

Ben had been tracing and retracing the steps of just how Dara's bottle of iron pills could have been switched with a bottle of penicillin. He became even more determined to learn who the culprit was as the idea of an intentional switch of the medication had been confirmed after the head pharmacist had finished a complete inventory and discovered that a bottle of penicillin was unaccounted for. That factor, combined with the large amount of capsules that a member of the housekeeping department had found in a trashcan near the pharmacy, which were tested and confirmed to be iron supplements, confirmed Ben's belief that Dara had been the victim of an intentional poisoning.

Once Ben had received the information from the pharmacist as well as from the head of housekeeping, he realized that in order to formulate such a plan, access to Dara's medical records had to be a necessity. Bearing that thought in mind, Ben had paid a visit to Wendy Austin in the records department. Ben had known Wendy for sometime so he wasn't surprised when he opened the door to the record's room and she glanced up from the stack of files that she was going over, that she offered him a sincere smile as she greeted;

"Hi, Deputy Healy, how are you doing?"

Returning the smile, Ben nodded;

"I'm fine, Wendy, how about yourself?"

Shrugging nonchalantly, she offered;

"I can't really complain, is there something that I can do for you?"

Coming to the point of his visit, Ben explained;

"Well yes, Wendy, as a matter of fact there is. You heard about what happened to Dara Buck, didn't you?"

A look of genuine sympathy crossing her features, Wendy nodded as she confirmed;

"Sheriff Buck's wife? Yes, sir, I really hated to hear about it too, she's such a sweet lady. Is she doing any better?"

Ben searched the girl's face for any signs of her complicity in what had taken place as he offered;

"Yeah, she's awake now and they're supposed to take the tracheotomy tube from her throat today. But anyhow, I need to know who could have access to her medical file, Wendy."

Any doubts that Ben might have had in the girl's willing involvement in what had happened to Dara were quickly squelched when she stared at Ben in genuine puzzlement as she demanded;

"I don't get it, what has that got to do with what happened to Mrs. Buck?"

Although Ben had no doubt that any part she might have played in the events that led to Dara's current condition were purely innocent and without knowledge, the fact was that he had known her since she was a little girl and he was aware of her weakness for men as well. Grant it, she wasn't exactly what someone could term as 'loose' when it came to men, she did, however, tend to to be a very trusting and giving girl who was eager to please in the hopes that she had found a Prince Charming and that her attention and affection would be returned in kind. Unfortunately, such a trusting nature made her perfect target and victim for somebody like Garrett Darvin, especially given her position at the hospital. Seeing the she wasn't fully aware of just how Dara Buck had come to be in the hospital, Ben explained;

"Well, she went into anaphylactic shock and almost died. It seems that someone switched her iron pills, which she gets filled at the pharmacy here, with penicillin. She's highly allergic to penicillin, so whoever did it knew that it could possibly kill her and the only way that could have been possible is if they had gotten a hold of her medical file since the only people who knew besides her were Dr. Crower and Sheriff Buck."

Biting at her bottom lip as she considered his query, Wendy tilted her head to the side as she offered;

"Well, lets see; there are the doctors, of course. Aside from the doctors the administration and nurses would have access and me, of course, but that's about it. But I can't see anyone wanting to do something intentionally mean to her though, Deputy Healy, I mean she's such a sweet lady and everyone thinks the world of her."

Unable to shake his suspicions, Ben studied her carefully as he asked;

"If there a possibility that someone else could have come in here and seen those files; you know, someone who was 'just visiting'?"

Denying her gut feeling, Wendy shook her head in denial;

"Not that I can think of, but if I think of anything I'll be sure to let you know."

Ben couldn't help but sigh in frustration at the apparent dead end as he thanked her and left. Once the door closed, Wendy made her way to the patient files and pulled Dara Buck's folder, opening the cover she scanned the information for herself and saw just exactly what Ben had explained to her. There, in black and white, under allergies was stamped: PENICILLIN (HIGHLY DANGEROUS, POSSIBLY LETHAL). Closing the cover of the folder as her thoughts began racing she heard a noise behind her and whirled around to find Garrett smiling at her as her as he greeted;

"Hey, darlin."

Noticing the folder in her hand, he asked innocently;

"What's the matter, honey?"

Wendy's eyes widened with a combination of shock, agony and sorrow as she glared at him accusingly as she held the file up to state without preamble;

"You did it, didn't you? The other night when you had me unlock the door to the pharmacy with the excuse of just getting some aspirin for your headache and I got called away; you switched Dara Buck's prescription with penicillin. You looked at her file when I left you down here the other day and you saw that it could kill her, I know that you did it. Mrs. Buck hasn't ever done anyone any harm, and definitely not you; why on earth would you want her dead?"

Lifting his shoulders in a careless shrug, not even bothering to offer some plausible excuse, Garrett confessed without reservation;

"She's standing between me and what rightfully belongs to me. And no, I don't want her dead, at least not yet, but I do need her incapacitated for a while. You see, she keeps my brother grounded, calm and rational and that's not what I need to accomplish my goal."

Feeling as if her head was swimming in confusion with trying to understand his explanation, she couldn't help but stare at him in disbelief as she demanded;

"Your brother? Do you mean Sheriff Buck?"

Nodding, he confirmed her assumption;

"The one and only."

Shaking her head as she stared at him, horror dawning in her eyes, Wendy realized just how twisted and off balance he must be as she walked past him towards her desk, stating firmly;

"You used me, Garrett, you used me so that you could get access to Mrs. Buck's medical file and then you used me to switch those pills. I won't be a party to this and I'm not just going to go along with it either."

Garrett had no doubt that she would figure everything out sooner or later, however, he still needed time to accomplish his goal and that being the case he realized that he was going to have to resort to his alternate plans for Wendy, especially given her determination that she wouldn't play any part, willing or not in his scheme. Offering her a look of contrition, Garrett approached Wendy as he pleaded in a cajoling tone;

"Wendy, come on, put the phone down, honey. I admit that I used you but I really do care about you."

Wendy couldn't help but feel sorrow at the situation as she held the receiver in indecision as her eyes reflected her skepticism;

"Garrett, what you've done, it's wrong. Mrs. Buck could have just as easily died."

Realizing that he was gaining an advantage as he played on her sympathy and her feelings for him, Garrett pressed the issue as he nodded his agreement;

"I know, honey and I'll go along with whatever you decide needs to be done. But can we at least talk about it first?"

He could see by the sadness in her eyes as well as the tears that were brimming in there as she looked up at him that she was teetering on the brink of a cliff, especially when she replaced the receiver to stand there, her sadness an almost palpable thing. Offering her the shelter of his embrace, he wasn't surprised when she walked into his arms to be enfolded in his embrace. Seeking to ease her mind, Garrett soothed;

"It's alright, Wendy, it's all going to be just fine."

Lowering his arm, he reached into his pocket and carefully uncapped the hypodermic needle, having secured it's contents the night before as well as preparing it in the event he might need it in just such a situation. Realizing that the occasion definitely warranted his foresight, Garrett slowly pulled the needle from his pocket before wrapping his arms around her tighter before quickly jabbing the needle into her arm and depressing the plunger, sending the contents into her bloodstream. He couldn't help but smirk as she pulled away from him to rub her arm before staring at him in horror as she demanded;

"What did you just do to me?"

Chuckling, Garrett offered;

"That was just a little 'thank you' for helping me, Wendy. I thought that you might like a little 'boost', I've always heard that heroin has one hell of a kick to it. What do you think?"

Her face reflecting her horror at the situation, Wendy reached for the phone, but found her hand stayed as Garrett took the phone from her grasp before admonishing lightly;

"Oh I don't think that we need to call anyone, do you? Besides, we wouldn't want to interfere with you enjoying my little present, now would we?"

Although a part of her mind registered that she should be panicked, Wendy began to experience a feeling of euphoria along the lines of floating. Seeing that the drug was beginning to take hold of her mind and senses, Garrett led her to a chair and watched as her face took on the look of being in another world. After a few minutes or so, she looked at him innocently as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Her voice reminding him of that of a young child, she ventured;

"You know something? I know that I'm supposed to be mad at you for something, but I can't remember what it is. Oh well, I guess that it wasn't important, was it?"

Shaking his head, Garrett offered;

"No, darlin, I guess that it really wasn't."

Glancing around at her surroundings, Wendy began pouting as she complained;

"I don't like this place, it's depressing. Do I have to stay here? I want to do something fun."

Offering her a look of indulgence, as if she were a small child, Garrett asked;

"We'll do anything that you want to do, Wendy, where do you want to go?"

Her face breaking into a wide, silly grin, she stood and began spinning around before falling into his arms, her own opened wide as she giggled;

"I want to fly."

Finding himself amused by her behavior as well as the fact that he had been able to squelch any possible threat that she might pose as the result of her earlier discovery, Garrett offered;

"Really, Wendy, would you like me to give you a little something to help you take off?"

Despite the fact that she was already in the height of the haze that the earlier injection had created, her mind wasn't able to comprehend the danger a second dose would cause, something that Garrett was more than aware of as her eyes widened in glee as she eagerly nodded before asking;

"Yes, but will it hurt?"

Reaching into his pocket, Garrett withdrew a second needle to uncap it before offering;

"No, honey, not really, it might just still for a second but you'll feel so amazing afterwards and then we can go flying. Now, be a good girl for me and roll up your sleeve so I can give it to you."

Garrett waited patiently as she obeyed him by falling into her chair, giggling, as she rolled up the sleeve of her blouse before extending her arm in anticipation. Taking her arm in his hand, he jabbed the needle into her arm and depressed the plunger to send more of the toxic substance into the girl's bloodstream. Once he had emptied the needle he recapped it and placed it back into his pocket before offering;

"That's a good girl, Wendy. And just for that, you deserve a little reward."

With that he pulled her up from her chair to hold her as he lowered his head and, savagely, took possession of her mouth. He couldn't help from fantasizing about having such mastery over his sister in law, something he vowed would happen before he was through with she and his brother. Bringing his thoughts back to the task at hand, he broke the kiss and noticed how Wendy was no giggling uncontrollably. Rubbing his hands up and down her arms he asked encouragingly;

"Are you ready to fly now, honey?"

Garrett found his lips curling in maliciousness as she nodded eagerly, unable to speak due to her continued giggling. Leading from to the stairs, he opened the door and took her hand as he led her up the flights as he explained;

"Well, we have to go up high enough so that you have a really good take off."

Leading her up to the roof, he opened the door for her and let her precede him out onto the open rooftop. Noticing a deck chair, Garrett settled her in the chair as he ordered;

"Now, Wendy, you be a good little girl and sit her for me for just a second while I find you just the right place for you to take off. Can you do that for me?"

He wasn't surprised when all she could manage was to giggle uncontrollably as her head bobbed up and down, acknowledging her understanding. Garrett glanced around the area, careful to remain as unobtrusive as possible from those on the ground below. Approaching the edge near the garden area just outside of the hospital's cafeteria area, he couldn't help but notice his brother and sister in law, walking in the garden below. Glancing over his shoulder he couldn't help but consider the fact that, even from this distance and despite her illness, it wasn't hard to see just how pale a comparison to Dara that Wendy proved to be, at least in his eyes.

Feeling as if the perfect opportunity had been presented to him, Garrett returned to where he had left Wendy, who was still giggling as if amused by some inner joke of her mind. Despite the realization of just how heinous his plans for the girl were, he couldn't stop the malicious smirk that found its way to his lips as he reached into his pocket for the final hypodermic that he had prepared as he lowered himself to sit on his heels as he informed her;

"Wendy, you've been such a good girl, what with all the help you've given me, that I want to make sure you really enjoy flying. Would you like that, darlin?"

Seeing the look in her eyes as well as just how giggly she was, he knew that she was completely disconnected from reality as she held her arm out eagerly while giggling before muttering;

"Uh huh."

Slowly, as if drawing out the moment, Garrett uncapped the needle before inserting it into her arm, making certain that he found a vein. Once he finished with the needle, he withdrew the ones that he had used earlier and began wiping them clean of his finger prints before ordering;

"Now, Wendy, why don't you hold your hand out for me and hold these."

When she complied, he dropped the hypodermics into her open hand and made sure that he closed her fingers around them, ensuring that her fingers left clear prints before using the cloth that he had used to wipe his prints clean from syringes to pull the caps from the needles as he instructed;

"Thank you, honey, that's a good girl. Now, why don't you just drop those old things on the ground and you can go flying."

Happily, she did as told as he took her arm to lead her towards the edge of the rooftop.

Matt had returned early and, as promised, had removed the tube from Dara's throat. Having had to anesthetize her so that he could suture the opening, everyone waited on pins and needles for her to wake from the anesthesia. When she woke she found, not only, Lucas but Caleb, Trina and Ben all waiting with Matt to see if she would be able to speak again. Bringing her hand to her throat, Matt nodded as he explained;

"We removed it with no problems and it only required a max of two sutures, so if you do have a scar it's going to be a hairline one if that, so now it's time for the big test. I know that it's going to be a little painful for you, but let's see if you can speak; so go ahead and say something."

Turning to her husband, her eyes full of concern, Dara grabbed Lucas' hand in uncertainty, her fear and worry overwhelming her. Seeing her thoughts mirrored in her eyes, Lucas gripped her hand fiercely as he offered;

"Darlin, even if you can't talk, it's not going to change anything, do you understand me? No matter what, the kids and I will still love you and that's never going to change, whether you can speak or not. So just relax and give it a try; okay?"

Dara knew that, with everything she had been through, her emotions were more than likely in an upheaval, but she also knew that part of her emotional state had to do with the overwhelming love she felt from, not only, her husband and family, but their friends as well. Blinking back the tears that she felt at that realization, she cleared her throat and, despite the scratchy pain she felt at the action, she offered, although softly, clearly;

"I love you too."

Lucas' eyes widened as he breathed a sigh of relief before pulling her to him to embrace her fiercely as he vowed;

"You know something, I think the only thing that I've ever heard sound more beautiful was you reciting our wedding vows and telling me that you were pregnant."

Trina, noticing how Caleb exhaled his own breath of deep relief, grasped his hand to smile up into his eyes, relieved herself that Dara had pulled through her ordeal. Matt couldn't help but grin broadly as Ben slapped his back in congratulations. Matt couldn't help but notice, as Lucas released her from his embrace, the imploring look in her eyes. Taking the direct approach, Matt asked;

"Is there something that you want?"

Nodding her head eagerly, as she brought her hand to her throat and despite the scratchy pain, Dara looked at him pleadingly;

"Outside."

Glancing out the window, Matt nodded as he relented;

"Okay, you've earned it, but just for a little while okay?"

Dara offered him an appreciative smile as Lucas helped her put her robe on while Ben, Caleb and Trina excused themselves to attend to various errands. Although she was still weak and somewhat wobbly, Dara leaned against Lucas for support, having declined the use of a wheelchair. Leading her out to the garden area, Lucas couldn't help but feel gratified to see just how much she was enjoying the breeze and sunshine. Finding a bench under a shade tree near the door of the cafeteria, Lucas settled her there as he asked;

"Sweetheart, would you like something cool to drink?"

At her eager nod, he glanced around as he furrowed his brow in consideration;

"Will you be alright while I go inside and get us something?"

Glancing around her, she offered a slight smile as she nodded. After he had left for the cafeteria, Dara closed her eyes to savor the feel of the breeze and the sunshine on her face before opening her eyes to take in her surroundings. She couldn't help but notice that everyone was pointing towards the roof and exclaiming in shock. Curious as to why everyone seemed to be acting so strangely, Dara rose from the bench and walked a few steps to allow her a better view of the roof, she glanced up in time to see, what appeared to be, a young woman dancing around the edge just before suddenly performing a swan dive off the edge. Dara watched in horror as the girl hit the ground and blood began seeping from the various injuries caused by the impact. Seeking to turn away from the grizzly sight, she lifted her eyes towards the rooftop and caught sight of someone wearing a black cowboy hat and black coat, even had she not recognized that it was Garrett Darvin, despite the distance that separated them, Dara couldn't miss the look of intense hatred in his dark eyes. Seeking to escape Garrett's hate filled gaze, Dara's eyes turned back to the sight of the unfortunate girl, something that found her utterly shocked as well as unable to comprehend what she had just witnessed.

Having heard the commotion, Lucas hurried outside and, seeing the look of horror on his wife's face, rushed to her to pull her to him, burying her face against his chest, trying to shield her from the grizzly sight. Given all the excitement and stress from the earlier procedure as well as her illness combined with the shock of what she had just witnessed, Lucas wasn't surprised to feel her going limp in his arms. Lucas knew that Ben was in another part of the hospital, running down leads into Dara's case, so he wasn't shocked when his deputy came running towards him as he offered;

"I've already radioed this in, Lucas, but there's something funny here. That was Wendy Austin and I talked to her just a couple of hours ago and she was perfectly fine. They found some hypo needles on the roof and we're checking into it, but I'm telling you, I've known that girl since she was little and she wasn't into drugs. I'm betting that this has something to do with what happened to Dara somehow."

His own anger pushing its limits, Lucas couldn't help but glare at his deputy as he hissed;

"Benji, you know damned good and well whose responsible for every bit of this. And, one way or the other, I'm going to get rid of that bastard once and for all."

With that, he swung his wife's slight frame up into his arms as he added;

"Now, if you'll excuse me, tend to this and do the report and I'll sign it. But, right now, my wife has top priority."

With that, he stalked back into the hospital, leaving Ben pondering just how hard it was going to be to clean up whatever mess Lucas left behind after he dealt with Garrett Darvin.

Despite his apprehension, Matt agreed to release Dara from the hospital. He really wanted to keep her longer, but after having witnessed Wendy Austin's supposed suicide, he also knew that being anywhere near the hospital could prove counterproductive for her recovery. Despite confirmation that the needles on the roof had contained heroin and considering Dara's revelation of seeing Garrett Darvin on the roof, Lucas wasn't inclined to call the girl's death a suicide, knowing that his half brother had instigated the girl's death. He and Ben both felt that, after what had happened to Dara, that Wendy had realized Garrett's manipulation of her and had confronted him with it, something that had obviously found the man instrumenting the girl's death in an effort to cover his tracks, to a degree. Lucas had no doubts that Garrett wanted him to realize that he was the mastermind behind the schemes.

Two weeks after Dara's release from the hospital, Caleb approached his parents' for permission to go on a weekend camping trip with Trina's family. At first, Lucas had adamantly refused and, although the boy didn't offer any complaint, Dara could see how frustrated and devastated her son was. She knew that a large part of her husband's refusal was due to his reluctance to leave her unprotected, however, she also knew that Caleb had been through the ordeal with Garrett Darvin just as much as they had, that being the case, he more than deserved a break. Deciding to address the issue, she waited until they were getting ready for bed to bring up the subject.

Studying her husband as he emerged from the bathroom after his shower before they settled down for the night, Dara tried to figure out the best way to bring up the subject when Lucas solved the issue for her. He couldn't help but notice her watching him intently as he towel dried his hair, glancing at her from under the towel he offered her an opening;

"Something on your mind, darlin?"

Nodding, she ventured;

"Lucas, sweetheart, don't you think that it's more than a little unfair NOT to let Caleb go camping with Trina and her family? I mean, considering that Trina has been such a big help to us with the kids, especially after Ria was born. Not to mention everything that he's been through as well, don't you think he deserves a break from all of this? And, realistically, we both know that if Garrett Darvin was to make a move, I don't want Caleb caught in the middle and possibly getting hurt. Just because he's our oldest, doesn't mean that he's any less our child and I don't want him in danger any more than what I do our other children."

Remaining silent for a few minutes, Lucas finished drying his hair as he prepared for bed. Finally, he slid into bed next to his wife before turning towards her to demand in a neutral tone of voice;

"Is there anything else that you'd like to say about the subject?"

Biting at her bottom lip, Dara offered in uncertainty;

"Just that I'd really rather not have to argue about this because it hurts my throat."

Despite himself, Lucas couldn't help but chuckle as he pulled her into an embrace before shaking his head in amusement;

"Alright, you have a point, honey. I guess that I've gotten use to Caleb stepping up since all of this has happened that I forgot he needs a life of his own."

The next morning found Caleb ecstatic at the news that his father had changed his mind about allowing him to go camping. Sitting in the porch swing, watching as he left, Lucas couldn't help but turn to his wife in concern as he questioned;

"Darlin, are you sure this is a good idea, I mean with Mama Lucy going away for a couple of days, maybe we should have asked either her or Caleb to put this off."

Sighing, Dara shook her head;

"No, we shouldn't have. Honey, I'm fine, really, I promise. We need to try and get things as back to normal as we can, especially since the kids will be back in a couple of weeks or so. I know that we still have to be careful because of Garrett Darvin, but I'm more than ready for us to take our lives back from that man's control."

Understanding his wife's need to a return to normalcy, Lucas nodded;

"Alright, love, we'll do it your way."

Lifting her from her place, Lucas settled her in his lap as he questioned;

"So, since it will be just you and Ria since I have to go to work, what are you planning on doing today."

Placing her arms around his neck, she smiled as she shook her head and corrected;

"Actually, it's going to be just me. Loris and Matt asked if they could take Ria for a day or so. I thought that, since it's been a while since you and I really had any type of alone time, I would take them up on their offer."

Holding her close, Lucas theorized;

"So let me get this straight; no kids, no Mama Lucy, just you and me tonight? I think I can appreciate that."

Glancing at his watch, Lucas sighed;

"As much as I would like to stay just like this, I have to get to work, darlin."

Lifting her from his lap, Lucas kissed her deeply before placing his hand on her cheek;

"No over exerting yourself, darlin, I mean it. I'll call you later on and we'll figure out dinner for tonight then."

With that he left as Dara made her way inside the house to get Ria's things together in anticipation of Loris' arrival. Once Loris had come and gone, Dara decided that she was in the mood for a long soak in a hot bath as well as getting to bed early. Making certain that the doors were secured, she hurried upstairs to fill her tub and allowed the hot water to relax her. Once she finished bathing and washing her hair, she towel dried her hair before brushing out the curling mass and putting on a loose gown as she got into bed. Dara realized that she must have been asleep for a couple of hours when she woke to find her husband's mouth on her neck and shoulder. A smile curling her lips she turned towards him invitingly as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Lucas walked in the front door cautiously as he realized that the house was dark. However, recalling the earlier phone conversation that he had with his wife, who admitted to being tired, he simply shrugged it off as he headed up the staircase to their bedroom. Opening the door, he flipped on the bedside lamp and froze, the dawning horror of what he was seeing evident on his face as his rage began rising at the sight of his wife wrapped in the arms of another man in their bed. However, when the man turned, he looked exactly like Lucas.

Dara couldn't help but feel as if there was something slightly off about her husband as he held her in his arms. However, she also knew that, given the stress of their ordeal with his half brother, it was unfair of her to think that he would remain unaffected by everything that they had been through. Yet, despite her attempt to push the thought to the back of her mind, she simply couldn't get past the feeling that something wasn't quite right. Dara opened her eyes when she heard the bedroom door open and found herself shocked as she turned back to the man kneeling over her in confusion, then to her horror the face of the man holding her changed to reveal Garrett Darvin. Fear taking the place of confusion, she began pushing at him and screaming as Lucas snatched him by his coat to fling him backwards onto the floor, away from Dara, who sprang from the bed into Lucas' arms as he pulled her behind him. The fury evident in his face, Lucas turned to Garrett to growl;

"This time, I am going to kill you, you bastard."

Rising to his feet, Garrett turned to smirk at his brother as he taunted;

"You know she knew who I was, big brother."

Shaking her head in furious denial, tears of fear streaming down her face, Dara swore emphatically;

"Lucas, I swear to you that I didn't know, I thought that it was you."

Glancing over his shoulder, Lucas assured her;

"I know you did, darlin, it's alright, it's not your fault."

Shaking his head, Garrett sneered;

"She knew it was me, face it, your wife isn't anything more than just a little slut."

Lucas could no longer restrain the fury that he felt at the man, especially after how he had attempted, what Lucas considered, raping his wife and then insulting her into the bargain. Closing the space between them, Lucas grabbed the man by his throat to smash his fist into his face, knocking him back to the floor before he snatched him up to hit him again. This time, he knocked him flat on his back into the hallway past a shocked Dara.

Seeing the look of satisfaction on the other man's battered face, Dara's suspicions arose, more so as she noticed the smug smile that came over Garrett's face as Lucas grabbed him by the throat and began tightening his grip. Dara's eyes widened with the realization that this was what the man's intentions had been all along as she ran into the hallway to try and stop her husband. Glancing to Garrett she noticed that he seemed to focus the last amount of energy that he possessed in her direction just before she felt herself being thrown backwards against the wall, dazing her momentarily.

Trying to orient herself, Dara shook her head in an effort to clear it as she realized that Lucas had stopped throttling Garrett when he released the other man to let him slide to the floor. After he had released Garrett, Lucas approached her with his hand extended to help her up from the floor where she had fallen when she had hit the wall. Grasping his hand, she pulled herself up, thankful that he was still alive, especially as she glanced to the other man's body. Just as Dara buried her face against Lucas's chest in an attempt to find comfort, he took her in his arms to lower his head before kissing her deeply. Shocked, Dara pulled back as horror dawned in her eyes as she broke free of his hold to utter in certainty;

"Oh dear God, you're not Lucas!"

The corners of his mouth lifting in a heinous smile, he nodded before bragging;

"You're absolutely right, I'm not your loving husband. But, if it brings you any comfort to know it, he is still here, I simply have the control now. And as much as I would love to keep you around my lovely, Dara, if for no other reason to at least find out just what it is about your 'charms' that seems to keep my brother so enthralled, I'm afraid that's simply impossible."

Considering her options, Dara tried to buy herself some time as she shook her head;

"There's no way that you can just kill me, there's not anyone who would even begin to believe that Lucas would do anything to harm either me or our children; everyone knows how much he loves us."

Smirking as he nodded his agreement, he pointed out;

"Oh believe me, dear Dara, I'm more than aware of that fact. However, Garrett Darvin isn't nearly as infatuated with you AND everyone does know just how vicious he has been towards you, so that being the case, no one will questions that he broke in and attempted to rape you and then murdered you. And of course being the dutiful and loving husband that Lucas is, no one will question that he killed Garrett. Sadly, however, I didn't arrive in time to save your life, so no one will question his death in exchange for yours."

Dara couldn't help but panic at the thought of just what implications his plan had where her children were concerned as she tried inching her way away from him. However, sensing her intentions, he jerked her to him as his hands closed around her throat. Given how small her neck was she wasn't shocked that his hands were able to completely encircle her throat, effectively cutting off her oxygen supply as he squeezed them together. Looking into his face, Dara saw a trace of something and realized that her husband was indeed still inside the shell, attempting to battle for control once more. Frantically, she grabbed at his hands and succeeded in loosening them enough to allow her to speak. Seizing her opportunity she pleaded;

"Lucas, I know that you're still in there, honey. Don't let him do this, PLEASE!"

Just as she realized that she was on the verge of blacking out from the lack of oxygen, she felt his hands loosen considerably before letting go altogether as he collapsed to the floor. Rubbing her now bruised throat, she glanced over to Garrett's body and noticed movement. Realizing that he had returned to his own body, Dara knelt down to help her husband as he regained his own strength before turning to her to order;

"DARA, RUN, GET OUT OF HER! DO YOU HEAR ME; GO!"

She was about to refuse to leave his side when he pushed her towards the staircase as he yelled;

"I SAID RUN DAMMIT!"

Finding herself spurred to action by his order, she was about to flee when Garrett, having recovered somewhat, reached out to snatch a handful of her gown in his grip, halting her escape. Finding herself jerked backwards to land on her rear just inside her bedroom doorway, as well as the seam of her gown ripped enough to expose her leg up to her upper thigh, Dara pulled her leg back and, with all of her strength, kicked Garrett, forcing him to release his grip on the handful of of silk that he had been clutching so relentlessly before she quickly rolled to her knees to gain her footing as she bolted for the closet.

Having gained his own feet before Lucas, Garrett approached his brother to snatch his by his shirt and jerk him to his feet before slamming him against the wall table that was just under the huge stained glass window at the end of the hallway. Wrapping his hands around Lucas' throat he sneered;

"Let's just see how you like it, big brother."

Despite Lucas' attempts to struggle and break his brother's hold, Garrett's hands closed around his throat, refusing to let go or lessen his grip until he found himself surprised, to say the least, as he felt the painful crash of a vase across the back of his skull. Shocked by the blow, Garrett released Lucas, who sank to his knees trying to gasp air into his lungs, before turning in shocked fury to find Dara standing behind him, holding a gun aimed straight at him. As shocked fear replaced his fury, Garrett made one last attempt to save himself, all to aware that his sister in law was more than prepared to end his life, as he tried focusing his energy into throwing her backwards towards the upstairs railing.

Although she was caught off guard by the wave of force cast in her direction, Dara still managed to squeeze the trigger three times which took Garrett completely off guard as it sent him backwards through the huge stained glass window and onto the ground below. Unfortunately, the force of his fury has been enough to knock her backwards against the railing, which in turn knocked the gun from her hand as well as knocking her off balance over the railing. Desperation and fear found her reaching out and managing to grasp the rail in an effort not to crash to the marble floor below.

Staring in horror as his wife fell backwards over the railing, Lucas reached the railing in the blink of an eyes as he bellowed at the top of his lungs;

"DARA!"

Reaching over the railing, he quickly grasped her hands just as they were beginning to lose their grip on the railing and, finding strength that he didn't think he had left, he pulled her over the railing and to safety. Kneeling on the floor where she had sank to collect herself, he demanded;

"Are you alright?"

The skepticism reflected in her eyes, Dara swallowed hard as she ventured;

"That would depend on just who you are."

Seeking to ease her worry, Lucas cupped her face in his hands as he descended to take full possession of her mouth, lifting his head, he demanded;

"Does that answer your question, darlin?"

Closing her eyes momentarily as she sighed in relief, Dara nodded before turning towards the now shattered window as she asked softly;

"Is he really dead?"

Rising from the floor, Lucas made his way to the window and, scanning the ground below, found Garrett's body lying with his head smashed on one of the cement benches below with the rest of his body impaled on the spiked iron fence. Turning towards Dara he shook his head;

"Darlin, remind me to never, EVER really piss you off."

Standing, she approached the window when Lucas intercepted her to place his hands on her shoulders, gently restraining her as he shook his head emphatically;

"No, you don't need to see it. Believe me, he is most definitely dead, just take my word for it, he won't be bothering us again."

Accepting his assurances, she found herself exhaling a sigh of relief before the reality of what had taken place made a full impact in her mind. Unable to contain her stress, she buried her face against her husband's chest as her tears began falling. Lucas heard the front door open and knew, even before he heard the rapid succession of footsteps on the staircase, that Ben had gotten a call of concern. When he got to the top of the stairs and took in the scene before him, Ben explained;

"Lucas, we got a call that someone heard shots."

Holding his wife tightly, Lucas silently motioned towards the broken window. Approaching the portal, Ben glanced outside to take in the grizzly scene below before shaking his head in shocked amazement before turning towards Lucas and Dara. Noticing, not only the torn gown that Dara was wearing, but also the bruises that were visible on both she and Lucas' throats as well as the clear bruising across Dara's arms, Ben cleared his throat as he asked softly;

"Lucas, how do you want me to report this?"

Lowering his eyes towards Dara as he rubbed his hands up and down her arms in an attempt to comfort her, Lucas offered;

"You report the truth, Ben. He broke in and tried to rape Dara and when she fought back he tried to strangle her but I walked in and stopped him. He and I fought and he tried choking me but Dara was able to get the gun from our closet and shot him and he fell through the window and landed below."

At Ben's nod of agreement, he suggested;

"Alright, Lucas. I'll have the body removed and whatever else should be."

Watching as his deputy hurried down the staircase and out the door as the sound of sirens became louder with their approach, Lucas pulled back a little to place his finger under Dara's chin to lift her eyes up to meet his as he studied her tear streaked face to ask;

"Better now?"

The strain of their ordeal evident in her eyes, she nodded;

"I'm just grateful that it's finally over with and that he'll never bother us or the kids again."

His mind flashing on more practical concerns, he tilted her head to the side to examine the bruising on her neck and chest as he demanded;

"Darlin, are you alright, does anything hurt you?"

Nodding she confessed;

"My back and my throat hurt, but other than that I'm fine. And, no, I don't want to go to the hospital, I just want to lay down and forget that this ever happened."

Seeing the toll that their ordeal had taken on her, Lucas bent down and swung her up into his arms as he made his way back to their bedroom to settle her in their bed. Drawing the covers over her, he sat with her, holding her until she drifted off to sleep, still clinging to his hand for security and safety. Once he was certain that she was sleeping soundly he set about the task of clearing the debris in the hallway from the earlier battle as well as calling a glazier to repair the window. After everything, including removing Garrett Darvin's body, had been dealt with, Lucas sought his own rest for the night.

Although it seemed to Dara and Lucas something of an eternity, but was in fact a little more than a week, they had managed to put their lives back in order. When Mama Lucy had returned from Charleston and learned that the threat to her grandson's family no longer existed, as well as the realization that, with the three younger children beginning preschool within a couple of weeks, she decided that it was time for her to return to her own home. They found a similar reaction of relief when Caleb returned home from his camping trip to learn that the threat to their family was no longer an issue and that his parents were fine. Finally, much to their parent's delight, Kara and Jack made a weekend visit to return Alex, Riesa and Rinie to their parents' care, restoring their lives to as it had been and as they felt is should be.

A few days after Kara and Jack's departure, Lucas was lying in bed, waiting for his wife to join him as she finished preparing for bed as he contemplated the turn of events in their lives. Emerging from the bathroom, smoothing lotion onto her hands and arms, Dara couldn't help but smile as she noticed the look of contentment on her husband's face before flinging herself down on the bed to rest her arms across his chest as she propositioned;

"Penny for your thoughts."

Placing one arm across her back as he brought his free hand up to push the loose curls of her hair back from her face, Lucas couldn't help but smile as he admitted;

"I was just thinking about how much I love you and our kids."

Her eyes brightening as her lips curled in a seductive smile, she replied;

"Oh, my favorite subject! Would you care to demonstrate just exactly how much you do love me?"

Chuckling slightly as he reached over to shut off the bedside lamp, he admitted;

"You know something, darlin? That's the best offer that I've had all day and, yes, I would very much like to demonstrate just how much love I have for you."

Dousing the room in darkness Lucas took her in his arms and did indeed show her how much love he had for her.


End file.
